Sestra
by proudmarveltrash
Summary: "He'll break them." "Only the breakable ones." Natasha wasn't the only orphan girl in the Black Widow Program. 28 ballerinas, separated into families of two sisters and a father to train them. When Natasha left the Red Room, she never expected to see her fabricated family again. So how will she react when her long lost sister comes seeking aid, and will the Avengers help her? OC
1. This Is Your New Family

**Это ваш новый Семейный**

 _This Is Your New Family_

* * *

They were told they would become ballerinas for the Bolshoi Theatre. They were told they would perform for audiences all across Russia. They were told they would be cared for. They were told they would be loved.

They were lied to.

During the Cold War, the Soviet Union and the United States of America were constantly watching each other, waiting for the other to be the first to attack. Tensions were at an all time high as the world dreaded the beginning of a third great war.

It was at this time that the Red Room decided to resurrect the Russian Assassin Program. This time, however, things would be different. No longer would the girls all interact with each other. No longer would they all be trained by a single headmistress. No longer would they be allowed to fail. They would be more than assassins. They would be perfect.

The Black Widow Ops Program would consist of twenty-eight orphaned girls, brought into the Red Room with promises of once again becoming part of a family. Once they arrived, they were separated into fourteen groups of two, each girl being paired with one of relatively the same age and told that this was their sister now. Each pair of sisters was assigned to a personal trainer and told that this was their father now.

After being assigned to their new families, the girls were led off to separate rooms for the first brainwashing session. The first session was the longest and the most brutal, with every girl spending a full twenty-four hours being experimented on- their minds and bodies inhumanely toyed with. Two girls from separate families were dead already after the first session, and their sisters were reassigned to each other.

These two girls were Natalia Romanova and Veronika Luzhkov. They didn't know it yet, but these girls would grow to become two of the most skilled assassins the Red Room has ever produced.

Natalia and Veronika were the daughters of Ivan Petrovich. He raised them to be ruthless, yet deceivingly meek. On the outside they grew to be two stunning young ladies- thanks partially to the physical alterations done to every Black Widow- but on the inside, they were void of any scrap of sympathy. They were taught that love was for children, and that loyalty was fluid.

At the snap of a finger, they wouldn't hesitate to kill any of the other girls. If they had, they would have been killed themselves. Besides, if the girl wasn't strong enough to fight them off, it wasn't as if she deserved to live in the first place.

They were the perfect specimens of what the Red Room represented- beauty and death.

The experiments continued for decades with the help of Dr. Lyudmila Kudrin. Using the weaker girls that would have been killed eventually anyway as test subjects, he developed his own formula for extending the other girls' lifespans considerably. By the time the girls were well into their thirties, they could still pass for fourteen years old. On top of that, the Kudrin Treatment made the girls superhumanly fit, healthy and resilient.

Countless measures were taken to keep the girls in line. They were handcuffed to the beds when they went to sleep and weren't released until breakfast, which consisted of a small piece of bread and a cup of water. After breakfast they were taken to a viewing room where they sat at wooden desks and watched movies such as _Snow White and the Seven Dwarves_ and _Sleeping Beauty_ to learn how proper young women were meant to act. If they learned this, they would be better at concealing who they truly were.

The movies had also been infused with multiple subliminal messages by the Red Room. These messages were used to communicate that failure was never an option, and that only the very best were worth anything. There is no glory in second best, they told the girls. Second best only means that you are the best at being the worst.

After watching and reciting movies, they were taken to the outdoor training grounds. There the girls were pitted against each other in merciless combat that didn't end until one girl was dead or incapacitated, depending on the decision of the headmistress.

Dinner came after group training. The girls returned to their 'apartments'- two bedrooms and a bathroom for the girls and their assigned father to share- for lunch, which was always followed immediately after by more Kudrin Treatments.

The Kudrin Treatments were followed by individual training between the families. Natalia and Veronika greatly preferred this training to fighting with the other girls. The only challenge either girl could find was in each other, meaning the only real training they felt they received was when the two of them fought. The other girls were much too easy to take down.

The day ended with the girls laying in their beds while their fathers re-attached the handcuffs. Every day was the same for the girls, and whether they liked it or not, they never said a word about it to any of their betters.

However, when all the compound was dark and the elders were sleeping, two of the girls opened their eyes and turned to face each other.

"Как вы думаете, мы когда-нибудь оставить здесь?" Natalia asked one night, as quietly as she had been trained to speak. _Do you think we will ever leave here?_

Veronika's face was expressionless, but her words betrayed her care for her surrogate sister. She dared not let anyone other than Natalia know, but she had a distinct feeling that her loyalties to Natalia were anything but fluid. "Они не могли бы быть обучение с нами ни по какой причине. Однажды, в конце концов, они будут посылать нас в мир, сестра." _They could not possibly be training us for no reason. One day, eventually, they will send us into the world, sister._

Natalia nodded once in understanding before turning her face back towards the ceiling. Veronika assumed they were done speaking for the night, but Natalia had one more thing to say before sleep took her. "Я надеюсь, что придет день, в ближайшее время, Ника." _I hope that day comes soon, Nika._

"Как и я, Лия." _As do I, Lia._

* * *

 **A/N**

Hello readers! I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of Sestra (Russian for Sister). Just a few quick notes on the story:

This was a prologue of sorts, just to give you a glimpse into how Natasha and Veronika know each other. This is _not_ a story about living in the Red Room, though there will be frequent mentions of it throughout the story.

The majority of this story will be set after the end of Avengers, but before the collapse of SHIELD. This is slightly AU, due to the fact that I'm using the comics version of the Red Room and Natasha's backstory. Veronika is my original character, however, and is in no way affiliated with the Marvel Comics or Cinematic Universes.

I won't be using much Russian in this story, but since both Natasha and Veronika are native Russians and as of yet have never left Russia, I thought it made more sense for them to speak Russian rather than English. If I do use Russian later on, it will be with the same set-up where I will have whatever they say translated in italics at the end of the sentence.

Also, their nicknames are pronounced Nika (nee-kuh) and Lia (lee-uh).

Thanks for reading, and I hope you'll stick around to find out more about Veronika and how she'll interact with the Avengers.

* * *

 **Chapter 2 Preview**

"Am I?" The woman glanced down at her feet as she took a step closer to Tony with her left arm draped over the bar before looking back up at him through her lashes, one eyebrow raised. "It's worked so far, hasn't it?"


	2. I'll See You In The Morning

**Увидимся в первой половине дня**

 _I'll See You In The Morning_

* * *

Tony deftly stepped out the driver's side of his newest Audi, completely unaware of the woman watching him from the shadows across the street. It had been almost two months since the now infamous Battle of New York, and also the first time since then that all the Avengers had been together again. Which meant that Tony, being who he is, felt inclined to introduce Thor, Bruce and Steve to clubbing.

Clint and Natasha had made up their own excuses for not coming, which Tony ignored. If they didn't want to be here, he didn't want them here. He was going to too busy explaining how to have a good time to three completely out-of-the-loop guys, so why waste his time making sure those two had fun as well?

He'd easily left them at his Tower, opting to drive himself and his three semi-willing friends out to a recently remodeled nightclub. Speaking of said friends, Thor was the only one who had joined Tony outside of the car.

"Hey!" Tony pulled open the back door, leaning down to glare at the super soldier and shy scientist who were both still in their seats. "I didn't bring you two here so you could stay in the car like scared puppies. I brought you two here to experience the joy that is having people fawn all over you for saving the world. Out!" He jammed both thumbs in the direction of the club, stepping back to allow them the necessary space to exit the car.

Bruce was the first to join him, sighing exasperatedly and mumbling to himself about missing India. Steve climbed out after him, eyes darting reflexively over the club for any signs of danger.

The sight of the four Avengers brought a smile to the hidden woman's face. If she could just get one of them close enough, she would have everything she needed to put her plan in motion. When Steve had started searching the area, there was a brief thought that she had been spotted. That thought was quickly dispelled, however, when he was dragged inside by Tony with Bruce and Thor trailing behind them.

She waited a few minutes before readjusting the collar of her dress and sauntering out into the open, following after the men. After flashing her ID to the bouncer along with a wink and a winning smile, she was inside the bouncing building.

Her targets were immediately spotted sitting in one of the private booths towards the back of the room. Steve and Bruce looked like they were ready to leave already, Thor looked confused yet intrigued, and Tony wore his natural smirk as he observed the people pointing towards them and whispering excitedly.

She stood on the opposite side of the room from the Avengers, adopting her best aloof look to appear invisible to anybody who wasn't paying her close attention. It was her natural state to not be seen unless she wanted to be, and she didn't want to be seen by anyone other than the men she was keeping an eye on.

Luckily, she didn't have to wait long before Tony grew bored of trying to convince his friends to go find women to dance with and exited the booth to make his way to the bar. This, she could work with.

While Tony stood at the bar, tapping his fingers and waiting for the man to make his drink, he was joined by a woman leaning on the bartop to his left. His first thought when he looked at her was practically primal, but thanks to his recent involvement with Pepper, he didn't act on it. Unfortunately for him, she had different plans.

The woman turned her head slightly to the right, and Tony caught the look in her eye when she spotted him. "Hello," she greeted as softly as she could while still being heard, grinning devilishly. Tony raised his eyebrows in acknowledgment of the woman, and her grin seemed to deepen somehow. "What's your name?"

Tony knew that he could have responded a million different ways, but something about the air this woman gave off made her seem interesting at the least. Not only her breathtaking good looks, but the hidden messages behind her body language along with the teasing smile, the playfulness to her words and the barest hint of an accent he couldn't quite place. He couldn't tell if she was serious or not, but he was always willing to have a witty back-and-forth with anyone up to it.

"Oh, come on." He turned to face her with his elbow resting on the bar, drink momentarily forgotten as he adopted a skeptical look. "Don't pretend you don't know who I am."

The woman mimicked his stance exactly, from the elbow on the bar to the cocky smirk. "Who says I'm pretending? Maybe you're not as popular as you'd like to think."

Tony placed a hand over his heart as if even the thought of not being the most recognizable man on earth was physically painful. "If this is your way of trying to spark a conversation, I hope you realize how terrible you are at it."

"Am I?" The woman glanced down at her feet as she took a step closer to Tony with her left arm draped over the bar before looking back up at him through her lashes, one eyebrow raised. "It's worked so far, hasn't it?"

"Sorry, Holli Would," Tony picked up his glass, using it as an excuse to subtly lean back as he sipped it. "I'm a taken man."

"Holli Would?" The woman chuckled quietly, tilting her head. "That's a bit presumptuous, considering you don't even know my name." She could see from over Tony's shoulder that a certain doctor had taken notice of her flirting with Tony. Realizing that her time was limited, she placed her right hand on his neck.

He felt a sharp pinch and almost immediately there was a numbing fog that started to creep into Tony's mind, dulling his thoughts. His vision blurred slightly, but he could still make out the placating grin on the woman's face as she leaned in to whisper in his ear. "Спокойной ночи. Увидимся утром, Mr. Stark." _Sleep well. I'll see you in the morning, Mr. Stark._

Tony tried to stop the unknown woman from leaving as she stepped back, but by the time he lifted his hand she was halfway out of the building. He recognized the feeling of blacking out, and he knew that he wouldn't be able to stop whatever that mystery woman had done to him. Instead, he commanded his brain to remember every possible detail about her to report to Jarvis later as he involuntarily dropped against the bar, knocking his glass to the floor. As soon as he felt a hand on his shoulder, he turned and blinked harshly, attempting to see through the haze. He could just barely make out that Bruce was the person holding him up, and remembering that he had friends here, he finally allowed his body to fall limp as he succumbed to the darkness.

Meanwhile, the woman was already outside the club and walking down the street. She examined the phone she had lifted out of Tony's jacket pocket with a grin, flipping it in the air before catching it back in her hand. Phase One went off without a hitch. Now all she needed was to keep her promise and meet Tony in the morning.

* * *

 **Chapter 3 Preview**

"How did you get up here?" Bruce questioned, taking deep breaths and counting to ten in his head to keep himself calm. Tony had _just_ fixed his Tower from the last time the Hulk came out to visit, and he didn't want to get angry unless absolutely necessary.


	3. Second Impressions

**второй впечатления**

 _Second Impressions_

* * *

The next morning, all the Avengers were gathered in the living room at the top of Stark Tower to discuss the mystery woman Tony had encountered the night before. Even though he had only exchanged a few words with the woman, Tony had already decided that he didn't like her one bit. Not only had she been able to get close enough to drug him yesterday, but she was completely untraceable.

The only thing he knew was that she had injected him with sodium thiopental, a common enough anesthetic, though it was most commonly referred to as a truth serum drug.

"I don't understand," Bruce sighed for the hundredth time, leaning back in his chair and rubbing the bridge of his nose before replacing his glasses. "Why would she drug you and just... leave? Is there anything else you haven't told us about her, Tony?"

"Yes, Bruce," Tony deadpanned. "She actually gave me her contact information, but I've been keeping it from you to make this _extra_ challenging." Bruce stared expressionlessly at Tony, but the billionaire threw his hands up defensively in front of himself as if he had just been attacked. "Woah, Big Guy!"

Natasha and Steve looked at each other with matching looks of annoyance at Tony's antics. Even when his life had been potentially threatened, he was as childish as always.

Clint, who was leaning his back on the wall across from Tony with his arms crossed over his chest, sighed at Tony's joke. "We're trying to help you, Stark. Just tell us if there's anything else or not."

Tony narrowed his eyes at the archer before pursing his lips. It was true that he couldn't find her on his own, even though he would never admit that out loud. Jarvis had been unable to find anything on her based on looks alone, and the only name Tony had for her was the nickname he'd given her on the spot. The majority of the conversation was a blur thanks to the anesthetic she'd given him, but he sifted through the memories as best he could.

"She said something in another language," he remembered out loud. "It wasn't one I knew, though, so it couldn't have been Spanish, French or Dari."

"Can you recall what it is she said to you?" Thor asked from his spot on the couch to Tony's right.

"Uh, something like... spoknoy chi yabadu tram?" The rest of the team glared at his gibberish, and he repeated his earlier motion of holding his hands defensively in front of himself. "Hey, it's not like any of you would have understood what she said either!"

Despite the rough pronunciation, the words sounded distinctly Russian to Natasha. "Spokoynoy nochi?" she guessed, and Tony snapped in her direction with one finger on his nose, nodding enthusiastically.

"Do you know what that means?" Steve asked, furrowing his eyebrows. It didn't sound like any language he'd ever heard before.

"It's Russian," she explained. "спокойной ночи. It means 'sleep well'."

Clint whistled, eyebrows raised. "Creepy." Bruce nodded in agreement, leaning forward in his chair and staring at Natasha.

"What did you say the rest sounded like?" she asked, scanning her brain for what the assailant might have possibly said to him.

Tony thought about it for a moment, remembering the woman's face as she leaned in close and the feeling of her cool breath washing over his neck. The entire memory gave him chills, in more ways than one, but he couldn't remember exactly what she had said. The billionaire and the assassin left the other Avengers to continue contemplating motive while they went to find his cell phone. Tony said that he could probably have Jarvis pull up a recording of their conversation.

Unknown to the team, the very woman they were discussing was making her way into the lobby at that very moment with Tony's phone in one hand and a palm-sized canister of halothane vapor in the other. She had a feeling she would need it, even though she had planned this to happen on a Saturday morning so that not many people would be in the building.

Veronika flashed the skeptical looking receptionist her warmest smile as she reached the front of the desk. "Hi! I found this," she held up Tony's phone, "and was just coming to return it."

The receptionist raised one eyebrow, glancing at the phone. It was definitely Mr. Stark's- he preferred making his own phones rather than buying them- so she held her hand out to take it from the woman. "I'm sure Mr. Stark will appreciate having it returned."

"If you don't mind, I'd rather return it myself. I'm actually an acquaintance of Tony's, and seeing his face when he realizes he lost his phone in a club of all places would just make my day."

"I'm sure it would, but I'm afraid there's a policy. I can't just-"

The lady's words were cut off by a puff of halothane to the face. She coughed once or twice with her eyes squeezed shut, and seconds later she was passed out underneath her desk. Veronika leaned forward over the desk until she could see the button to open the elevator doors and pressed it.

When the elevator was opened, she stepped inside and allowed the doors to slide shut before tapping a few buttons on the stolen phone. Inside of the priceless piece of technology were the elevator codes for every different section of the Tower. Veronika pressed the button for the top floor and entered a 16-digit code, satisfied when she felt the elevator begin to rise.

The four Avengers left in the living room all turned to face the elevator when it dinged, announcing a new arrival. None of them had been expecting any visitors, especially not the woman who stepped out. Bruce-who had been the only person besides Tony to get a good look at her- instantly recognized her as the same woman from the club.

He shot out of his seat, and even though they didn't understand his actions, Steve, Thor and Clint all joined Bruce in standing up straight and staring at the new arrival.

"Hello," she greeted with a grin, offering them all a small wave.

"How did you get up here?" Bruce questioned, taking deep breaths and counting to ten in his head to keep himself calm. Tony had _just_ fixed his Tower from the last time the Hulk came out to visit, and he didn't want to get angry unless absolutely necessary.

The woman wiggled Tony's phone in her hand, and the other three men seemed to make the connection as to who exactly had just waltzed into their- albeit temporary- home as if she belonged. Even if the phone hadn't given it away, Bruce explained to them, his voice low and threatening. "That's her."

What happened next hadn't been exactly unexpected, but Veronika really had hoped to avoid fighting with the Avengers. So when Clint, who was standing the closest to the woman, shot at her like a whip, she almost sighed in disappointment.

When his hand gripped her shoulder, Veronika fluidly twisted Clint's arm until his back was to her before wrapping her arm around his torso and flipping him over her hip. When he landed with a thud on the ground, there was a short stunned silence from the other three men.

Quickly recovering, Steve and Thor stepped forward to help incapacitate her while Bruce took a few steps backward and focused on his breathing. Thor held his hand out for Mjolnir while Steve engaged the woman in hand-to-hand combat. Before he could even land a hit, Veronika had elbowed his chest and thrown him into Clint, who fell under the weight of the Captain before he could even stand all the way back up.

Veronika knew she was no match against the mythical hammer, so she dropped down and swept Thor's legs out from under him before jumping over the back of the couch the Avengers had previously been seated on and backing away from the three men that were now on the ground.

Tony and Natasha had been on their way back into the living room when they heard the fighting, causing them to break out into a sprint. When they entered the room, they saw Clint pushing Steve off of him with Thor laying nearby, Bruce contemplating whether or not this was a Code Green in the corner of the room, and a brunette woman standing with her back to them.

At the sound of footsteps behind her, Veronika turned around to face the two Avengers. When Tony saw who it was, he jumped back with his hands out in front of him and one foot in the air, standing in a ridiculous pose that was similar to one of a cartoon woman who had just seen a mouse. "Get her, Nat!"

However, Natasha stood completely still and expressionless as Veronika smiled and examined her. "You cut your hair, Lia."

"Боже мой." _Oh my god._

* * *

 **Chapter 4 Preview**

"Love is for children," Natasha and Veronika responded at the same time, causing Tony to step back with a wary expression. He'd had a hard enough time dealing with one scary assassin lady, he most definitely did _not_ need another.


	4. You Can't Escape Your Past

**Вы не можете избежать Ваше прошлое**

 _You Can't Escape Your Past_

* * *

"Lia?" Tony asked, lowering his arms and leg back to their proper places as he looked back and forth between the two women.

"Боже мой?" Veronika chuckled. "We don't see each other in thirty-two years and all you have to say to me is Боже мой?" _Oh my god._

"What are you doing here, Nika?" Natasha ignored Veronika's jovial mood. For all she knew it could have been an act. While Natasha had perfected the art of hiding her emotions behind a mask of nonchalance, Veronika had always been more fond of gaining people's trust through false smiles and a permanent air of lightheartedness. Since Natasha had left the Red Room in 1980, she had awaited the day they would send somebody to bring her back, and if she was honest with herself, she should have expected it to be Nika. The Red Room was cruel that way.

"Nika?" Tony repeated, furrowing his eyebrows at Natasha, though his unasked questions were being ignored by both women. Thor, Clint and Steve were all back on their feet at this point, and had joined Tony and Bruce in watching the two women stare each other down- one with a blank face and the other wearing an easy smile.

"I didn't come here to hurt you," Veronika assured her. "I came here because..." For the first time since she entered the building her smile faltered, though it was imperceptible to everyone except Natasha. In a strange way, it made Natasha trust her. Veronika was an impeccable liar, meaning whatever had happened to her had undoubtedly shaken her to the core. "I need your help, Lia."

"Okay, _timeout_." Tony held his hands up in a T-formation, glancing at all of the other Avengers who looked just as confused as him before pointing a hand at Veronika. "Why would we help you?"

It remained quiet while the women simply continued to stare at each other. The tension in the room grew heavier by the second, with every pair of eyes trained on Veronika as she stepped closer to Natasha. Clint's first reaction was to stop her, but Natasha glanced at him over Veronika's shoulder and shook her head slightly to stop him.

When Veronika stood only a step away from Natasha, she lowered her voice and dropped her smile, completely serious for the first time since walking into the Tower. "это об Иване." _It's about Ivan._

Natasha's blood froze at the mention of their adoptive father. She hadn't seen him since she left the Red Room, but his final words to her had fueled her nightmares for many years. _Nobody ever leaves the family. I'll see you again soon enough._

Though she hid it well, Natasha could see the same fear in Veronika's eyes. If Veronika hadn't meant for Natasha to see it, she wouldn't have- she knew that much. This could only mean one thing: Ivan was finally making good on his promise. He was coming for her, which meant he was after Veronika as well.

Natasha rarely depended on people, but she wasn't dumb enough to think Ivan would come alone. If he wanted his girls back, he would bring an army to collect them. If they managed to bring Natasha and Veronika back to the Red Room...

"Он не сможет прикоснуться к нам," Natasha promised in their mother tongue before surprising her fellow Avengers by resting her hand on Veronika's cheek. "We'll help you." _He won't be able to touch us._

Veronika responded by allowing the smile to return to her face and stepping further into the embrace. The women ignored the exaggerated gasp from Tony and the stunned looks from everybody else as they hugged.

"I'm so glad to see you again," Veronika admitted only loud enough for Natasha to hear. Having grown up in such a strict environment, the girls had rarely ever expressed their affection physically. They had been taught to use intimacy as a weapon, not as a means of showing their sincere care, so being able to hug freely meant the world to the both of them.

"Who else is incredibly uncomfortable right now? Show of hands."

Well, _almost_ freely. Veronika released Natasha and moved to stand at her side, staring at Tony with the same annoyance Natasha often displayed. He was standing the closest to the women with one arm raised high above his head as he looked at the rest of the group. Nobody else raised their hands, but their expressions clearly showed their confusion.

Thankfully for Veronika, Natasha was the one to defuse the situation. "Veronika and I grew up together," she explained. By now everyone on the team knew about what being raised in the Red Room, so that part didn't need to be said. "We lived together until I left Russia."

"So, are you... related?" Steve asked with his eyebrows furrowed. The women did look similar, but sisters wouldn't have been his first guess. His first guess had actually been that she was a threat to the team. Now he had no idea what to make of her.

The women glanced at each other before Veronika answered the Captain's question. "You could say that," she answered cryptically with the same smile from earlier returning to her lips.

Everybody's reaction to the news was different. Bruce sighed and finally left his corner, sitting back in the seat he'd been in before Veronika showed up. Steve, who still looked confused, followed Bruce's example and sat down on the couch. Clint and Thor seemed to accept the news rather easily. Clint knew enough about Natasha to know that she would explain whenever she thought the time was right, and that was enough for him. Thor understood the concept of having siblings that didn't always do the right thing, and he figured that this woman could have done much worse than she had.

Tony of course insisted on having the most dramatic reaction out of the bunch, crossing his arms over his chest while his eyes scrutinized every part of Veronika. "As if I didn't have enough to worry about with just one assassin under my roof. At least Natasha hasn't drugged me... yet."

"It was the easiest way to get this." Veronika pulled Tony's phone out of her pocket and tossed it to him. "Besides, I wanted to test you."

" _Test_ me?"

"All anyone ever hears about you is how much of a genius you are," Veronika clarified. "I wanted to see if it was true. You failed, by the way."

Tony looked utterly shocked at the accusation, mouth hanging open in objection. "How dare you insult me in my own home! It must be genetic with you two."

Bruce raised an eyebrow at his friend, slightly questioning the man's intelligence himself. "Tony, you do realize they don't actually share any genetics, right?"

"Of course they do!" Tony scoffed, standing by Bruce's side and holding his arms out towards the women who were currently wearing matching expressions of irritation aimed towards him. It was actually extremely intimidating to see both of them staring at him like that, but he's _Tony Stark_ for Christ's sake. He couldn't let them know that. "Just look at them! Can't you just _feel_ the sisterly love radiating off of them?"

"Love is for children," Natasha and Veronika responded at the same time, causing Tony to step back with a wary expression. He'd had a hard enough time dealing with one scary assassin lady, he most definitely did not need another. Especially not one that drugged him and stole his things.

Clint was the one to bring the conversation back around to the reason Veronika had gone through all the trouble of coming to the Avengers in the first place. "What exactly do you need our help with?"

"It's a bit of a long story," Veronika sighed. She had nothing against the Avengers, but she generally avoided talking about her time in the Red Room. However, considering how she had made her way to the group, she knew they wouldn't help her just because she shared a past with Natasha. Whether she liked it or not, she was going to have to relive her past and explain her so-called-family to the Avengers. "Natasha and I met at the beginning of the Cold War."

* * *

 **Chapter 5 Preview**

Veronika examined Clint with a thoughtful expression, mulling over his words. "I'm glad Lia found somebody to care for her." Though her words were true, the archer couldn't help but hear the slightest tinge of regret in her voice.


	5. Just You

**Только Ты**

 _Just You_

* * *

It took quite some time for Veronika to explain everything she knew to the Avengers. She left out pieces she deemed unnecessary for them to know, such as the full extent of her relationship with Natasha- whom she had only known as Natalia before coming here- and the things she had become involved in after leaving the Red Room.

While she was spinning her tale however, one Avenger in particular was playing closer attention to the redhead rather than the brunette. Clint had become very protective of Natasha over their last few years as partners, and he wasn't quite sure how to feel about Veronika yet. He was inclined to distrust her because of her origins, but that would be hypocritical of him considering he was the one who had decided to recruit Natasha instead of kill her all those years ago. Perhaps it was how she had chosen to come to them for help that set him on edge.

Whatever the reason, Clint was sure of one thing. He would speak with her later- in private.

Veronika was not unaware of the archer's special attention. She had been trained to read a person from a mile away, and it wasn't as if he was exactly hiding his feelings. She had also prepared herself for this reaction. Honestly, she thought Tony would be the hardest to convince that she meant them no harm, considering he was the only one she'd directly hurt- initially, of course.

Veronika hadn't come to the Tower wanting to fight the other Avengers, but it came as no surprise when they sprung to defend their friends. Besides, she'd taken it easy on them. If she had _really_ been trying, they wouldn't have simply ended up in a pile on the floor. But Veronika didn't really want to fight them. She wanted her problem solved, and they would be the only people willing to help her.

So Veronika sat in the middle of Tony's large couch, explaining her situation with Thor on her left and Natasha on her right. Clint sat in an arm chair right of Natasha with Bruce in the arm chair across from him, and Tony stood at the bar opposite the couch with a scotch glass in his hand.

"Ivan Petrovich is an evil man," Veronika said with little emotion. She had decided against showing the Avengers her fear. Natasha had seen it already, and her Lia was the only person Veronika needed to believe that she was worth helping. "He believes that we are his possessions, and he will stop at nothing to have us returned to him. We should expect no less than an army if we aren't the first to act."

"The first to act?" Steve questioned, leaning forward slightly. He had been the most invested in Veronika's story. Having spent the better part of his soldiering career fighting men like Ivan, he was the only Avenger besides Natasha who already hated Ivan. "What exactly do you mean by that?"

"Isn't it obvious? We take the fight to him." Bruce answered instead of Veronika. He too wanted to see Ivan dealt with, but for a different reason. Natasha was one of the few people to show real acceptance towards his situation, and the more time he spent with her, the closer he felt to her. Bruce was the last person to willingly join a fight, but he was willing to fight for Nat. Fighting before things got out of hand was an added bonus.

"Well I, for one, am all for attacking without a plan." Steve grimaced at Tony's words, remembering the last time he had said something similar. It had ended in a not-so-favorable situation with Tony, Thor and himself fighting each other under the influence of Loki.

Thor was the one to speak out against this plan- or lack thereof- however. "In my experience, acting without previous thought is rarely the best course of action."

"Nobody said anything about not having a plan," Natasha corrected the god, flashing Tony a quick glare. "We just don't have one _yet_. That doesn't mean we aren't going to make one."

Tony groaned and rolled his eyes while he poured himself another drink, completely ignoring the nasty looks being thrown his way. "But planning is so _boring_. Why don't we talk about the _really_ interesting stuff- like our new friend Nika over here," he tipped his glass in the brunette's direction with a smirk. "I'd like to know more about her, and I know for a fact I'm not the only one."

This had _not_ been on Veronika's agenda for the day. She was what most people called a lone wolf, rarely ever working with anyone other than herself. She was anything _but_ a team player. Thanks to her reclusive ways, she had rarely ever spoken about her past. Granted she would be working with the Avengers, but who she was and where she came from should in no way influence whatever plan they would eventually settle on.

Before she could put these thoughts into words, however, Steve interrupted by suggesting they wait until the morning to discuss everything further. The large windows showed that the sun had almost completely disappeared behind the horizon, much to most of the team's shock. Despite leaving out as many details as possible, Veronika had managed to keep them all entertained with her stories for almost an entire day.

Everyone except Tony agreed that this would be the best course of action, seeing as it was too late to do anything tonight anyway. Most of the Avengers were staying at Stark Tower for the time being, since Tony had converted a few of the upper floors into guest rooms. Thanks to this, it was decided that Veronika would also stay inside the Tower on the same floor Natasha and Clint shared.

She didn't outwardly display her hesitance with staying in the same building with the Avengers overnight, knowing how suspicious it would sound for her to protest any manner of offer from them. Instead, she gave Tony a small smile at the suggestion and followed Nat and Clint onto the elevator.

Though the short ride down was silent, Veronika communicated with Natasha by subtly tapping her fingers in a predetermined code against the back of Natasha's arm. Quick taps with short pauses, one letter at a time. _They don't trust me._

Natasha responded in the same way, mimicking the action with her own words. _They didn't trust me at first either._

The elevator doors slid open, and Natasha was the first to leave. "You can stay in that room," she told Veronika, pointing towards one of four doors before opening a different one. "If you need anything, I'll be in here."

Veronika nodded, and Natasha closed the door behind herself. Clint waited just outside the elevator doors until Veronika walked into her appointed room before following after her. Nat might get angry with him later, but Tony was right- his curiousity about this woman was killing him.

Veronika listened as Clint came into the room behind her and closed the door, ignoring the itch on the back of her neck that told her he was staring. "Can I help you with something?"

He waited for her to turn around, but when she never did, Clint crossed his arms over his chest and settled for staring at her back as he spoke. "I just want you to know that if it turns out you're lying to us- if you're lying to Nat- about any of this, we won't be very happy with you."

"Nat?" Veronika turned slowly with a slight smirk that made Clint shift his weight uncomfortably from foot to foot. "You have a nickname for her?"

"You're ignoring the point."

"Oh, no I'm not." Veronika shook her head and took the smallest step closer to the man in front of her with each sentence she spoke. This she found much more comfortable than dealing with the Avengers as a whole. This is what she had been trained for- one man, one woman, a darkened room with nobody else around. This is what she was used to. "Nobody else followed me into my room. Nobody else threatened me. Just you."

Clint bit his tongue for a moment, considering how to answer before saying anything else. "Natasha and I have worked together for a long time. We look out for each other. I look out for her."

Veronika examined Clint with a thoughtful expression, mulling over his words. "I'm glad Lia found somebody to care for her." Though her words were true, the archer couldn't help but hear the slightest tinge of regret in her voice.

The regret, however, seemed almost imagined as the next step she took left her only inches away from Clint. While he was in no way uncomfortable around women, he found Veronika especially intimidating for reasons he couldn't seem to name.

No matter how blank his expression, the slight clench of his arms when she invaded his personal space was not lost on Veronika. She knew _exactly_ what she was doing, and she was enjoying it. "Do I make you uncomfortable, Agent Barton?"

Clint scoffed at her question, looking away from her for just a moment too long to seem natural before turning his head back to face her steel blue eyes that seemed to glitter with excitement. "Trust me, I've faced a lot worse than you."

"Trust you?" Veronika grinned coyly, tilting her head to the side. "Would you like me to tell you that I trust you?"

"I couldn't care less about whether or not you trust me," Clint corrected himself. The longer Veronika stared at him the way she was, the more he felt that coming in here alone had been a bad idea.

To Veronika, however, this was the most exciting thing she'd done in weeks. Thanks to Ivan chasing after her, she'd spent the better part of the last three months in hiding, leaving her little room to have the type of fun she was having right now. "I believe you."

Clint held back a flinch as Veronika leaned closer to him with one hand reaching for him, but was relieved that her hand had passed by him and landed on the doorknob behind him. Her smile never changed as she pulled the door open and stepped from in front of Clint to standing on his left, holding the door open for him. "Goodnight, Clint."

The archer cleared his throat and nodded as he left her room, watching with a strange mixture of feelings he didn't quite comprehend as she winked and closed the door.

* * *

 **Chapter 6 Preview**

Natasha's gaze flickered briefly between Clint and Veronika as the latter entered the room. Something had _definitely_ happened between the two after she'd left them, and she was positive she would find out what it was sooner rather than later.


	6. A Careful Eye

**осторожны глаз**

 _A Careful Eye_

* * *

The next morning, most of the Avengers had already convened in the same room they'd met Veronika in the night before. Steve had been the first one awake- as usual- and had made a simple breakfast of bacon and eggs, making sure there was enough for all six Avengers as well as their... guest? He didn't really know what to call her.

The others trickled in one by one, all in laughably different levels of dress. Steve was fully dressed for the day in a plain button-up shirt and jeans, hair neatly combed to the side. Bruce was reasonably dressed, wearing an outfit similar to the Captain's but with darker colors and his usual messy curls sweeping over his forehead. Natasha was the third Avenger to enter the room, looking as immaculate as always despite her simple t-shirt and sweatpants and the lack of bounce in her dark red curls. Clint came in right behind her wearing a purple night shirt with dark-wash jeans, rubbing his eyes tiredly. He hadn't slept very well the night before.

At least ten minutes passed before Thor joined his friends. He was definitely the happiest of the group, having no trouble waking early and getting straight into the heart of things. Much like Steve, he had dressed out completely. Tony was the second to last person in the room, appearing as if he had simply rolled out of bed and come here first thing- which is exactly what he had done. Donning one of his ridiculous graphic tees, this time displaying a villainous-looking spoon with the words 'Cereal Killer' plastered under it and gray sweatpants, he dropped into his usual seat at the kitchen table and plopped his head into his hands as if he might fall back asleep at any moment.

The team was all there, but Veronika was nowhere in sight. Steve was the one to point this out as he distributed plates around the table. "Has anyone seen Veronika this morning?"

Everyone looked at each other, waiting for somebody other than themselves to answer. When nobody did, Tony picked up his glass of water and narrowed his eyes at it, internally questioning if she had drugged it again.

"Do you think she left?" Bruce asked no one in particular, though he was looking at Natasha. She didn't seem the type to be hurt by such an action, but he was worried for her nonetheless.

"Why would she leave before we were able to assist her?" Thor tacked on. He had been unable to form a solid opinion on the woman so far, but she had seemed a capable adversary. Not only that, but she was an old friend of Natasha's, and if the Black Widow trusted her, then the least he could do is help her while she is in danger.

Natasha shook her head, glancing at the elevator doors. "No, she wouldn't do that. Nika wouldn't have come to us in the first place unless she had no other choice, and she's too smart to leave before her problem was resolved."

Steve stood next to the extra chair he had set up for Veronika with a plate of food in hand, debating whether or not he should make up a place for her to sit or not. Before he had to decide, however, the elevator doors finally opened and revealed that Veronika hadn't cut and run after all.

Her hair was piled up into the same short and messy ponytail as it had been yesterday, though this morning it was still slightly damp from her shower, leaving a few strands of her bangs clinging to her cheeks. The simple outfit of black jeans and a white v-neck tee had been borrowed from Natasha's room, seeing as Veronika hadn't planned to stay overnight and didn't have any clothes of her own.

"Sorry I'm late," she apologized light-heartedly, running her gaze over everyone in the room- though her eyes lingered slightly on the archer. "I hope I didn't worry you." Clint looked deliberately away from the woman when she smirked at him, staring intensely at his breakfast.

Natasha's gaze flickered briefly between Clint and Veronika as the latter entered the room. Something had _definitely_ happened between the two after she'd left them, and she was positive she would find out what it was sooner rather than later.

Veronika was enjoying Clint's attention far more than was probably safe, but having been deprived of fun for so long, she found herself not caring whether it was safe or not. When she saw that the seat that had been set up for her was in between Clint and Natasha, she even let herself smile outwardly as she made her way over, brushing her arm lightly against his as she sat down.

The rest of the team was fairly oblivious to the tense air surrounding the archer and the Russian. Natasha was the only one who took special notice of it, making a mental note to speak to both of them about it later.

Steve finished off setting the table by handing Veronika her own food before sitting in his own seat across from her. It was uncomfortably quiet for a few minutes, seeing as the only people who could easily converse with Veronika were Natasha and Tony, and they were both too stuck inside their own heads to bother.

Bruce coughed awkwardly behind one hand before tapping his fingers against the cool glass table top. "So, uh, Veronika. Do you have any idea why Ivan would want you and Natasha back now? I mean, why did he wait so long?"

Veronika shrugged slightly, meeting the nervous doctor's gaze teasingly. "I'm not sure. I'll be sure to ask next time I see him."

"He might have been waiting for you to advance in your training," Thor suggested. "Perhaps he thought that by letting you travel freely, you would become more skilled than you would have by simply running through training exercises."

"That would make sense," Natasha agreed with a nod of her head. "He told me when I left that he would bring me back some day. I always knew he would pop back up eventually, but I didn't expect it to be so soon."

"Didn't you say you left the Red Room more than 30 years ago?" Tony asked, furrowing his eyebrows. "You think that's _soon_?"

"Maybe not to you, but it's not that long to us."

" _Why_ he wants us now doesn't matter." Veronika trailed her finger up the condensation on the outside of her water glass, staring at the small drop of water that pooled on her index fingertip for a moment before flicking it onto a napkin. "The fact remains that we should be bringing the fight to him. He won't expect us to attack first, which is exactly why we should."

Nobody else had any better ideas, so the rest of breakfast was fairly quiet. Afterwards, the team agreed to separate and go through their daily routines before reconvening that night to decide on what the best plan of attack would be. As soon as everyone began separating, Natasha grabbed Veronika's arm and pulled her to a secluded corner of the living room.

"What happened between you and Clint last night?"

"Clint and I?" Veronika tapped her chin with a mock-thoughtful expression before shaking her head. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Natasha rolled her eyes with a sigh before glancing over her shoulder where Clint was waiting for her next to the elevator. They always trained together right after breakfast. When she looked back to Veronika, she saw that she was also staring at the man, but with a mischievous grin. "You're not going to hurt him."

Veronika laughed quietly, gripping Natasha's shoulders lightly and tilting her head to the side with a placating smile. "Of course not, Lia. Hurting him is the _last_ thing on my mind."

Natasha pursed her lips, scanning Veronika's features for any signs of untruthfulness. When she found none, she nodded. "Good. Do me a favor and try not to get into too much trouble when I'm not around, okay?"

"Anything for you, миленький." _Darling._

Reasonably assured, Natasha stepped out of Veronika's grip and walked over to where Clint was waiting for her. She kept her eye on Veronika until the elevator doors closed, then turned to face Clint. "All right, talk."

Clint knit his eyebrows for a second as he wondered what exactly Natasha wanted him to talk about, but before he had the chance to ask a light bulb went off in his head and he knew exactly what she was talking about. "There's nothing to talk about."

"I can take that answer from Nika, but not from you, Barton. What did you and Nika do last night?"

"Nothing!" He shook his head defensively. "I just... talked to her, is all."

"идиот," Natasha sighed, rubbing her temple in irritation. "What did you say?" _Idiot._

"I just told her that if she was lying about needing our help that we wouldn't be very happy with her."

"And how did she respond?"

"She, uh..." Clint scratched the back of his neck, trying to remember the full conversation. "She didn't actually say anything back to that. She asked me why I call you Nat instead of Natasha. Then she asked me if I wanted her to trust me. I told her I didn't care, and she said she believed me. Then she told me goodnight, and I left. That was it."

Natasha turned back to face the elevator doors without another word, deep in thought. She knew enough to not place her full trust in Nika, but she also knew that she hadn't been lying about Ivan. Honestly, Natasha had no idea what Nika could possibly hope to gain by playing with Clint. It had always been her specialty, and she had enjoyed it far more than any of the their girls. Still, there was no reason for her to manipulate Clint. She already had their help. What more could she want?

The only reasonable explanation was that she was genuinely intrigued by Clint, but that seemed far less likely than the possibility that she had an ulterior motive. Nika had never been one to become attached to anything, especially not people.

Regardless of the motives, Natasha was sure that she was going to have to keep a careful eye on Nika from now on.

* * *

 **Chapter 7 Preview**

Veronika leaned back against the metal desk, propping herself up with her hands on either side of her hips as she watched the two scientists work. She knew they didn't want her in there, but she didn't care. She wasn't here for their comfort.


	7. There's Always More To Know

**всегда есть больше** **,** **чтобы узнать** **,**

 _There's Always More To Know_

* * *

Veronika chose to follow Tony and Bruce to their lab, against their silent wishes. She knew they didn't want her to follow after them, but she sensed Natasha's suspicions and decided that it would be for the best if she left the two agents alone for the time being. Other than Natasha and the archer, the scientists seemed the most interesting pair out of the bunch.

This train of thought is what motivated Veronika to ignore their cautious glances as she waded through the lab, flipping through random papers and tapping nearby screens. Very little of the scientific terms made much sense to her, but that didn't stop her from meddling.

While Tony was annoyed with the woman because she was touching his things, Bruce was wary to even speak to her. Despite Natasha's apparent trust in her and Veronika's willingness to answer almost any question they threw at her, there was something... off about the new arrival. He didn't really know how to describe the feeling, but he had a hunch that it probably wouldn't ever go away.

Opposite to Bruce's quiet nature, Tony had no qualms with voicing his irritation with Veronika. "Hey, Snoopy. You won't last very long around here if you keep touching my stuff."

Veronika looked very deliberately at Tony with big, innocent eyes before holding her hands up. He pointed two fingers at his eyes before twisting them around towards her, indicating that he was watching her. When he turned back to his work, however, Veronika turned her gaze towards Bruce- who had been watching the exchange- and winked before running her hand over the papers spread out on the table once more.

Despite the somewhat innocent nature of the action, it still put Bruce on edge. He quickly turned back to his journal that he had been scribbling notes in, but his thoughts remained on the Russian woman for some time after that.

Veronika leaned back against the metal desk, propping herself up with her hands on either side of her hips as she watched the two scientists work. She knew they didn't want her in there, but she didn't care. She wasn't here for their comfort.

Call her sadistic, but Veronika enjoyed nothing more than pushing people's buttons. Especially when there was a sense of danger involved. Considering the environment she'd been raised in, could you really blame her? This affinity for antagonizing others had gotten her into quite a bit of trouble in the past, but that in no way affected the way she chose to play her mind games. Speaking of...

"Dr. Banner." Veronika watched with light-hearted glee at the tiny twitch of the man's shoulders when she called his name. "Why don't you tell me more about yourself? I'm very curious."

Tony and Bruce looked at each other before they both turned to look at the woman swinging her legs back and forth like a child on a swing. It was almost creepy, in a weird way. "There's not much you need to know about me," Bruce offered, hoping in vain that this would be enough to placate her.

"There's always more to know about someone," Veronika countered. "I'll make you a deal. For every question you answer, I'll answer the same question. Fair enough?"

Now _this_ was interesting. Tony pivoted on his heel, scrutinizing the woman in front of him. The deal hadn't been aimed towards him, but damn it all if he wasn't dying inside to know more about Veronika. Hell, he didn't even know her last name! He'd had Jarvis tracing her all night long, but when he woke up he was disappointed to find that the only new data was what she had already told them about herself.

"We'll do it," Tony answered. Bruce looked at him as if he had just lost his mind, but Tony ignored it completely. "We'll all ask a question, and everyone has to answer truthfully."

"What's to stop her from lying?" Bruce held his hand out towards Veronika, who was currently smirking at the pair, as if simply looking at her was evidence enough that she was not to be trusted. "How would we even know if she did?"

"You wouldn't," Veronika answered. "But what's the fun in playing a game if you're just going to cheat?"

"Winning," Tony suggested.

Veronika chuckled, shaking her head. "There are no winners in real life, милый. Now, are we going to play, or aren't we?" _Sweet._

"Oh, we're playing." Tony crossed his arms over his chest and one ankle over the other, leaning back against the desk he'd been working at. "Here are the rules."

"Tony," Bruce sighed. He had never agreed to play this game, but he knew better than to assume he was going to get out of it now.

"Rule number one: all questions and answers must be in English. Rule number two: each player is permitted one question. Rule number three: each question must be answered by the other two players truthfully." Tony waited for any objections, and smiled when there were none. "I'll go first. Question one... What is your last name?"

Bruce breathed a sigh of relief at the easy question, comforted that Tony only seemed to care about Veronika's answer. He easily announced that his last name was Banner, and was rewarded by a quiet round of applause from Tony.

Veronika grinned at the question, knowing exactly why this would be the one question Tony wanted answered. If he found her last name, he could potentially find out every other answer he wanted. "Clever," Veronika admitted with a nod of her head. "Veronika Luzhkov. And no, I won't spell it for you."

Tony narrowed his eyes, but it didn't matter anyway. He would simply store the name away for later and ask Jarvis to dig into her past later. "Fine. You're next, Jolly Green."

Bruce flashed Tony a quick look of scolding disapproval before shrugging to himself. "I don't know, uh... What are you afraid of?"

"Dark," Tony commented. Tapping his chin in thought, he considered what scared him. There were a few things that truly terrified him- the Ten Rings, the wormhole, losing what few friends he had- but there was a loophole to the question, he realized. Bruce had asked what they were afraid of, not _most_ afraid of. "Heights. Can't stand 'em."

"You _fly_ ," Bruce almost scoffed. "On a regular basis!"

"Facing your fears is the best way to overcome them."

Bruce rolled his eyes at Tony's attempt to be philosophical before looking at Veronika expectantly. She had adopted an obviously dramatized expression of deep thought, staring at the ceiling with one hand covering her mouth. She hummed quietly to herself for a moment before snapping her fingers and nodding as if the idea had suddenly come to her.

"Puppets. You know, those little dummies used by ventriloquists? Absolutely terrifying." Both men stared at her with shared looks of confusion- eyebrows knit together and mouths slightly open as if they wanted to ask a question but didn't quite know what words to use. Before either of them had a chance to form a coherent sentence, she asked her own question. "My turn. What... is your favorite color?"

Needless to say, both Bruce and Tony were flabbergasted at her question choice- especially since she'd been the person to suggest the game in the first place. They had been expecting something more personal, or at least something _interesting_. Tony was obviously very let down that this was the question she chose to ask, though Bruce was once again relieved he wouldn't have to answer anything too revealing.

"What a stupid question," Tony scoffed condescendingly, turning his back on Veronika and returning to his work. "And obvious, too. Red."

Bruce actually took a moment to consider his answer. He hadn't ever really thought of what his favorite color was before... "Um, purple."

Veronika nodded, thoroughly satisfied, and hopped down from the table she had situated herself on. "Thank you, gentlemen. You've been more than helpful."

Without any further explanation, Veronika practically skipped out of the lab, leaving the two men wondering why they felt as if they had just inadvertently given up their life stories to a woman who seemed much too happy to know their favorite colors.

* * *

 **Chapter 8 Preview**

"How interesting," Veronika praised with a mischievous glint in her eye. "I certainly didn't expect to meet you today."


	8. I Haven't Changed

**я не изменились**

 _I Haven't Changed_

* * *

After leaving the boys in the lab, Veronika found herself strolling once again through the living room of the Tower, but this time with one difference- she was alone.

As she twirled in a slow circle, tracing her fingertips over the furniture as she walked further into the room, Veronika wondered absentmindedly where the rest of the team had disappeared to. It was of no real consequence to her where they were or what they were busying themselves with, except she didn't know exactly how long she would have to snoop.

She wasn't looking for anything in particular, but she was just too curious to keep herself from going through the Avengers things while they weren't around- not that she really tried to stop herself in the first place. Since it was just the living room, Veronika didn't expect to find anything too interesting. She checked behind the bar and in between couch cushions, under the coffee table and in the kitchenette cabinets, inside books and behind wall art. Nothing. How boring.

Veronika's fruitless prying was interrupted by the sounds of the elevator doors whirring open. She stepped behind the bar and grabbed a random bottle of alcohol, appearing casual as she poured herself a glass of the amber liquid. When she glanced up at who had joined her in the living area, she was surprised to see that it wasn't any of the Avengers.

"Hello," she called out to the ginger woman, smiling when she jumped slightly and turned to face her.

"Hi," Pepper greeted, looking over the empty room. "I'm sorry, have we met?"

"We haven't," Veronika answered with a shake of her head. When her glass was full, she returned the alcohol to its original spot and sipped her drink. It was bitter and warm- must be Tony's.

Pepper watched the woman who seemed to be making herself at home with a wary expression. She'd never seen her before- that much was confirmed by the woman herself- and she didn't see any of the others anywhere. Cautiously, she walked further into the room and closer to the stranger. "Are you a friend of one of the Avengers?"

Veronika hummed quietly to herself instead of answering the question and walked around the bar to meet Pepper halfway into the room and held her hand out. "Veronika."

Pepper shook Veronika's hand with a half-hearted smile, still unsure of who exactly she was or why she was here. "Pepper."

"How interesting," Veronika praised with a mischievous glint in her eye. "I certainly didn't expect to meet you today." Of course, Veronika already knew exactly who Pepper Potts was- how could she not? The only stable thing in Tony's entire life. Instead of saying this, however, Veronika simply smiled.

"I didn't expect to meet you either." Pepper pulled her hand back and Veronika sipped her drink, strolling over to one of the couches and sitting on the armrest. "So, you didn't answer my question."

Veronika watched her drink as she swirled it in the glass, the corner of her lips tugging up playfully. "And what question was that?"

"Are you a friend of one of the Avengers?" Pepper repeated, squaring her shoulders to show that she wasn't going to simply drop the question.

"Ah," Veronika sighed, nodding her head. "That question." She thought for a moment about how to answer that, tilting her head to the side. "Not exactly. I don't think they like me very much."

All of these roundabout answers were starting to frustrate Pepper, but luckily for her she wouldn't have to deal with Veronika on her own any longer. The elevator dinged to signal that they were being joined by someone else, who was revealed to be Steve, Clint and Natasha when the doors slid open.

The new arrivals looked over the situation they had just walked in on- Pepper standing awkwardly with her hands balled into loose fists and Veronika sitting on the edge of the couch drinking Tony's alcohol. Steve and Clint were slightly confused while Natasha was shooting Veronika her best 'really?' look.

Veronika shrugged and stood from the couch, working her way back over to the bar. "Tony's in the lab with Bruce, by the way. I'm sure he'd be more than happy to see you."

Pepper nodded to Veronika's back before turning to face the other Avengers, lowering her voice. "Who is she?"

"Tony can explain," Natasha answered, placing one hand on Pepper's shoulder and directing her towards the hallway leading towards the lab. Taking the hint, Pepper looked once more at the woman she just met before making her way to the lab, her had swimming with questions to ask Tony.

Natasha waited until Pepper was well out of ear-shot to turn her gaze on Veronika, who was busying herself with refilling her nearly empty glass. "Why are you antagonizing everyone?"

Veronika held back a smirk, topping off her drink before turning back to Natasha with a small, teasing smile. "What do you mean by that?"

"I agreed to help you because you have a serious problem." Natasha stalked closer towards Veronika while Steve and Clint glanced at each other with worry before taking a step back, both of them watching to see what was about to happen. "I stuck my neck out for you, and all you've done is push everyone's buttons."

Veronika remained calm and still, analyzing Natasha's every move. She knew that she was wearing out her already fragile welcome, but she wasn't ready to stop. "In what way?"

"You know exactly what you're doing!" Natasha almost yelled, clenching her hands as she started to lose her cool. Even though it had been decades since she had last seen Nika, she didn't expect her to be so different now. "You didn't used to do this," Natasha shook her head, narrowing her eyes as she examined Veronika. "You've always been manipulative, but you never used people if you didn't have to. Something changed you."

Veronika's smile fell, and she adopted the same expressionless look that the Avengers were used to seeing from Natasha when she was dealing with her enemies- cold and calculating. "I haven't changed. _You_ have changed, Natalia." She pushed off the bar, taking slow and deliberate steps closer to Natasha while Steve and Clint wondered if everything was about to go wrong. "They were wrong about you. You aren't iron. You're gold- pretty and valuable, but much too easy to redefine."

The two women stared each other down, oblivious to Tony, Bruce and Pepper walking in. They hadn't witnessed the exchange between them, but the way they stood stone-still in front of each other with blank faces alerted the three that something had happened while they were out of the room.

It was uncomfortably silent for what seemed like hours, when in reality it was only a few seconds before Veronika's permanently cheerful grin returned to her features and she cupped Natasha's cheek in her hand. "Вы пошли мягкие, котенок." _You have gone soft, kitten._ Veronika traced her thumb slowly over Natasha's chin, lingering over her lips for a moment before dropping her hand and taking a step back to look over the rest of the group. "Shall we get on with it, then?"

* * *

 **Chapter 9 Preview**

"They relocated out of Moscow years ago," Veronika corrected Natasha with a small shake of her head. "Luckily, I know where they've gone- and we're going to follow them."


	9. The Hunter Becomes The Hunted

**охотник становится охотились**

 _The Hunter Becomes The Hunted_

* * *

"All I'm saying-"

"Nobody cares what you're saying, Stark."

"We already have a plan!"

"No, we don't!"

"This is going nowhere."

"We shouldn't even be involved in this."

"We don't know anything about this girl."

"Veronika isn't the only one in danger here- this guy is after Natasha too!"

The Avengers bickered amongst themselves, shouting over each other and waving their arms theatrically as if this would help to prove their points. Pepper had excused herself long ago, making some excuse about a board meeting for Stark Industries. Veronika stood in front of the window that covered an entire wall, tuning out the petty arguments while she thought of her own plan.

After her brief tiff with Natasha, the two women had separated to opposite sides of the room with the other Avengers casting cautious glances her way every few minutes. They didn't know what Veronika had said to Natasha as none of them spoke Russian and neither of the girls was willing to translate for them, but whatever it was had clearly angered Natasha to the point of having silenced her.

Veronika knew that she had taken her game too far. Her only ally among the Avengers was angry with her- whether she acknowledged it or not- and the rest were as distrusting of her as ever. If she was going to get back into their good graces, she was going to have to take charge of the situation.

Rejoining the group, Veronika pushed her way into the center of them all and shoved them away from each other, dropping her cool exterior for the first time in a long time. " _Shut up!_ " Stunned into silence, the Avengers all stared at Veronika as she took in a deep breath and brushed non-existent wrinkles out of her shirt. "Sit down."

Once everyone was sitting in their own seats, Veronika nodded to herself. "Arguing will get us nowhere," she started, looking over every member of the group. "We need a plan, and we need it now. There _is_ going to be a plan, and it is going to be one that won't get us all killed. Any objections?"

Without waiting for an answer, she continued as she walked over to the last empty chair and sat down. "Good. Now, since nobody else seems to have any suggestions that fit those criteria, I'll go first. Step one is getting our gear together. I assume you're the one in charge of that, Stark."

Tony nodded, lounging against the back of the couch. "Anything we don't already have will only take me a day or two to get together."

"Okay, then it's everyone else's job to make up a list of anything you need and get it to Tony. Other than battle gear, we'll need a way in and out."

"In and out of where exactly?" Clint asked, looking from Veronika to Natasha.

"Their main base is located in Moscow," Natasha answered, speaking for the first time since her argument with Veronika. "It won't be easy to get into, but not impossible."

"They relocated out of Moscow years ago," Veronika corrected Natasha with a small shake of her head. "Luckily, I know where they've gone- and we're going to follow them."

* * *

It took a while to catch everyone up to speed, but after another few hours, the plan was finished. All that was left now was to actually set it in motion. Everyone separated for a late lunch and to get their list of necessities ready for Tony.

With everybody separating to do their own things, nobody even noticed Veronika slipping into the elevator and pressing the button for the lobby.

She had no problem staying in enemy territory when she was working undercover for a job, but Veronika was almost positive that if she had to spend another minute with the Avengers she might actually kill one of them. So while they weren't paying attention, she made her way out of the Tower and down the streets of New York.

It was a twenty minute walk to her own temporary home, and the entire time she was looking over her shoulder. No matter how much she hated staying in Stark Tower, she couldn't argue the fact that it was the safest place for her while she was running from Ivan.

When she made it inside her apartment, she locked the door behind herself and walked into the living room, dropping onto the couch with a large sigh before burying her face in her hands. There was rarely a moment for Veronika to drop her character and simply relax, and that slowly ate away at a person. Deciding to throw caution to the wind for five minutes, Veronika allowed herself to unwind completely.

Standing from her couch, she made her way into the bathroom and turned her shower on, undressing while the water slowly heated up. However, she only had her t-shirt off when she felt a lump in her pants pocket that she knew hadn't been there before she left the Tower.

Veronika was automatically back on high alert as she pulled what was revealed to be an old flip phone out of her pocket. She set it down on the sink counter to pull her shirt back on when it start vibrating against the ceramic. The pace of her heart picked up at the sudden buzzing sound, and she walked over to shut the shower off before flipping the phone open and pressing it to her ear.

"Вы сделали новых друзей, так как я в последний раз видел вас." _You've made new friends since I last saw you._

Veronika's heart dropped low into the pit of her stomach at sound of the familiar voice, and every muscle in her body tensed. "Alexei."

"So you do remember me, малышка," the man chuckled. "I'm flattered." _Baby girl._

Veronika remained silent as she pushed her bathroom door open and examined her hallway, carefully stepping out and looking over every crevice in the apartment for intruders. She searched every room while Alexei continued speaking over the phone, amusement clear in his voice.

"I must admit, Nika, I never took you as the type to go to anyone for help- especially not the Avengers. Tell me, how many times have you lied to them so far? How many have you played for fools?"

"The Avengers turned me down," Veronika lied smoothly as she pulled her bedroom door open and walked inside, sparing no effort in assuring herself that she was alone. "Even Lia refused me. She claimed that time has changed her- has changed the both of us. She told me that I'm not her sister, and that I should leave while they would still let me."

Alexei laughed loudly, and Veronika closed her eyes, biting her lip and internally cursing. "Oh, Nika. You never could lie to me, could you? No." As if a switch had been flipped, his voice instantly became dark and menacing. "Do you take me for a fool, Veronika? I know _exactly_ what you are doing. I _always_ know what you are doing. If you ever thought for one second that I wasn't watching you, then you have lost every skill that once made you valuable. I am going to give you one chance, for old times' sake. If you agree to work with me, then I promise not to be angry with you for lying."

Veronika was practically shaking, she was so terrified. Alexei was right- she was a fool. She should have known from the very beginning that Ivan would be keeping a permanent eye on her, and especially she should have known that he would send Alexei to be that eye. He was the only person besides Natasha that she ever showed any semblance of care for.

When she offered no answer, Alexei sighed and reverted back to his loving persona. "I understand that you are afraid, малышка. I am nothing if not patient. I'll give you until tomorrow morning to give me your answer. Sleep well, Nika. I'm sure we'll see each other very soon."

The phone beeped twice to signal that the connection had been lost. Veronika slumped against her wall and slid to the floor with the phone cradled against her chest, breathing shakily as she ran through the conversation over and over in her head.

She was going to have to make a choice, and either way she was going to be in a world of trouble. "ебать." _Fuck._

* * *

 **Chapter 10 Preview**

"I didn't realize I was your hostage," Veronika shot back as she brushed past Tony on her way to the bar. "You'll have to excuse my ignorance. I had more important matters to think of than your craving to be in constant control."


	10. Curiosity Killed The Cat

**For those wondering, the first part of this chapter will give a bit more information on who Alexei is. Also, if you wanted to know what he looks like, I imagine him as a brunette Paul Walker.**

* * *

 **любопытство сгубило кошку**

 _Curiosity Killed The Cat_

* * *

 _Veronika was woken up by a feather-light warmth trailing slowly along her neck, followed closely by the same warmth snaking its way over her midsection and pulling her close. She knew immediately what this was, and the realization forced her lips into one of their rare genuine grins. "_ _Good morning,_ _малышка_ _," Alexei mumbled against her neck. ~Baby girl~_

 _"_ _Good morning," she replied, turning in his arms to face him with a tired yet clearly playful expression. The same teasing light shone in his eyes that matched her own, and she leaned her face close enough to feel his breath mingling with her own as her vision blurred, adjusting to the close proximity._

 _Veronika and Alexei were perfectly similar in the way they both relished teasing others- especially one another. Every morning was the same with the both of them pushing each other's limits, always seeing how much they could get away with. So far, neither of them had ever cracked._

 _Slowly, tauntingly, he pressed his lips against hers- just barely brushing at first, but with the same building intensity as always. Eventually, she pulled her favorite move of gripping his chin tightly and biting his bottom lip just hard enough to draw a droplet of blood. He groaned his disapproval, but this only encouraged her to chuckle and nibble further._

 _Their game quickly escalated with Alexei shoving Veronika's shoulders back onto the bed as he rolled to hover over her, moving his lips from hers down to under her chin, applying enough pressure to force her to bump her head against the wall behind their shared bed._

 _No matter how rough they were with each other, neither of them ever considered it to be too much. Their entire lives outside of each other were harsh- why shouldn't they be harsh with each other? Just like every other relationship they had with people, theirs was a game. The only difference was that with each other, neither of them ever had to worry about taking the game too far. If they believed in love, that is what they would have called what the feelings they shared for each other._

 _They didn't believe in love, however. So they happily settled for the next best thing. Lust. This even became a running joke for the two. Whereas normal couples would fawn over each other, whispering sweet nothings to praise each other as they confessed their love, Veronika and Alexei did quite the opposite. They mocked mercilessly, even going so far as to insult each other regularly- critiquing the others' skill in any daily task._

 _Alexei and Veronika didn't love each other, but that didn't stop it from hurting the woman when she learned seven months later that he had been sent by Ivan to keep an eye on her while she travelled the world after leaving the Red Room. On the outside she was angry and resentful, but on the inside, she hated herself more than anything for ever allowing herself to care for him at any capacity in the first place._

* * *

Veronika sat with her back to the wall for hours, clutching the phone that wasn't hers with enough force to turn her sore knuckles white as she stared blankly at the wall in front of her, running through possible outcomes from here. None of them seemed very good.

Maybe Natasha was right. Maybe Veronika had changed. Maybe she used people when there was no good reason to. Why shouldn't she? Using people kept them at a distance- kept her safe, kept her guarded. If people hated her, she could hate them back without remorse. Isn't that reason enough?

Regardless of what she decided to do, there was no point in staying in this apartment any longer.

She took a moment to collect herself with a controlled deep breath before storing her stray emotions away in a secure box in the back of her brain and pushing herself off the floor. Veronika had no earthly idea what she was going to do, but she had a few hours yet until the time came to make the decision. For now what appealed to her most was that delicious alcohol stowed away in the living room of Stark Tower.

This time when Veronika made the short trip from her apartment to the Tower, she kept both hands on her pockets- one of which contained the borrowed cell phone- and both eyes fully alert on every person that passed her, waiting to see one she recognized. Luckily, none of the New York strangers looked at all familiar and she was able to make it back into the elevator without another mishap.

On the top floor, the Avengers had gathered once again in the frequently used living room to talk about Veronika. Just that morning they thought she had gone missing, but it had turned out that she had been in the shower. This time, however, she had been confirmed gone by Jarvis over four hours ago now.

Jarvis told the group that she left of her own volition, but Natasha still worried that something had happened to her, especially since she left no way to contact her. Even though the two women had a disagreement earlier that day, Natasha wouldn't wish the fate of being caught by Ivan on her worst enemy- let alone Nika.

The group had discussed trying to find her, and only then did they realize that they knew absolutely nothing on how to get in touch with her. They didn't know her address, her hangouts, her phone number, or if she even _had_ a phone. Once she walked out of the Tower, she was completely in the wind.

So when the elevator doors once again dinged open and Veronika walked in as if she had never left, it was easy to understand why the Avengers were more than a little frustrated with her. Strangely enough, it was Thor instead of Natasha this time to be the only person to notice that she was somehow different. It took him a moment of thinking to realize it, but once he did, it stuck out like a sore thumb. She wasn't smiling.

"Where have you been?" Natasha demanded to know, standing from her seat along with Tony. "You completely disappeared!"

"Out," she answered simply. She still hadn't decided whether or not to bring up Alexei, but keeping him a secret became more appealing as Tony stepped in front of her with his arms crossed, looking like a disappointed father.

"Why did you leave without telling any of us where you were going or how to find you?"

"I didn't realize I was your hostage," Veronika shot back as she brushed past Tony on her way to the bar. "You'll have to excuse my ignorance. I had more important matters to think of than your craving to be in constant control."

Everyone in the room shot out of their chairs as Tony grabbed Veronika's arm and she immediately responded by reaching back and flipping him onto the floor, kneeling over him with one arm pressed against his neck within a matter of seconds. Her face was mostly hidden to all but Tony, who- not for the first time- felt a flicker of fear at the anger brewing behind her threatening expression. "Next time you try something like that, you won't have a hand to grab me with anymore."

The Avengers watched Veronika with bated breath as she stood in one fluid motion, stepping over Tony and continuing her original path to the bar where she busied herself with pouring a drink of the same scotch she'd had a glass of earlier that day.

While she had her back to them, they all looked to each other with silent questions as Tony pushed himself off the floor to glare at the brunette woman. She could feel his eyes practically burning holes into the back of her neck, but she ignored him. Everything had become much more complicated, and now- for the first time in as long as she could remember- Veronika had exactly zero ideas on how to move forward.

However, even the act of violence wasn't enough to curb the Avengers curiosity. If anything, it only made them want to know more about Veronika's sudden disappearance and reappearance. "Nika," Natasha tried more softly, hoping beyond all hope that she would just make this easy for once and answer the question. "Where did you go?"

Veronika sighed quietly, tapping her fingers against the bar. Decision time.

* * *

 **Chapter 11 Preview**

Everyone watched as Veronika walked out of the room, holding the cell phone to her ear and speaking too quietly for any of them to hear. If any of them had any shred of faith left in the woman, her continued secrecy despite the current circumstances ripped it to shreds.


	11. What Are We To Do

**что мы должны сделать** **,**

 _What Are We To Do_

* * *

Everyone watched with rapt attention as Veronika's shoulders shrugged in time with the breath she slowly inhaled and exhaled before she turned back to the group with her hip resting against the bar and her drink hanging lazily in the air. She watched her fingers as they drummed against the glass for a moment before turning her gaze to Natasha. "If you must know," she started with a dramatic roll of her eyes as if the whole situation was beneath her, "I was at my house, gathering information."

"Information?" Natasha repeated, never moving her eyes from Veronika's. If this wasn't the truth, she wanted to see that. "On what?"

"On _who_ ," Veronika corrected. "Ivan. I was confirming his location and inquiring about how many men he'll have on hand. Obviously the longer we wait the more his numbers will grow, but as long as he doesn't know we're coming, he shouldn't have too many."

"Who were you talking to?"

"And why didn't you want us to know?" Clint added, crossing his arms over his chest. "Why are you hiding important information from us?"

"You're missing the point!" Veronika dropped her half-full glass onto the bartop walking closer to the Avengers and staring at all of them with angry determination. "We've all established very clearly that none of you trust me. I'm terrible, I'm evil, I'm sick- you can think whatever you want about me, but none of that changes the fact that the longer we wait to leave, the more chance there is that all of this preparation will be for nothing. I didn't come to you to make friends. I came to you because if I didn't, I would end up dead or back in the Red Room- which frankly would be worse than dying. If you don't care about that, as I'm quite sure none of you do, just know that the exact same thing will happen to Natasha. So, are you going to let that happen, or are you going to shut up and-"

Veronika's last sentence was cut off by the cell phone ringing loudly in her pocket as it vibrated against her thigh. She swallowed her words and pulled the phone out, staring blankly at it for a moment before flipping it open and moving it up to her ear. "Do you have an answer for me, Nika?"

"Speak of the devil." Veronika smiled at the group in front of her, stepping away from them and towards the exit. "I have to take this. Feel free to think about what I said." Everyone watched as Veronika walked out of the room, holding the cell phone to her ear and speaking too quietly for any of them to hear. If any of them had any shred of faith left in the woman, her continued secrecy despite the current circumstances ripped it to shreds.

Once she was out of eyesight, the Avengers returned to their seats and quickly concluded that leaving first thing in the morning would be the best outcome. With the last bit of their attack plans set in stone, the only remaining factor was what would happen with Veronika afterwards.

"What do you mean 'afterwards'?" Thor asked when Bruce hesitantly brought it up, fiddling nervously with his hands. "Our business with her after the battle will be concluded, will it not?"

Clint and Steve glanced at each other when Natasha sighed, dropping back against the couch heavily. "He means that she's dangerous," Natasha explained, staring at the floor in front of her rather than meeting anybody's eyes.

"Does that even involve us though?" Steve questioned, taking the time to gauge the reactions of everyone in the group before he continued speaking. "Surely she isn't the only... _mercenary_ ," he guessed was the best word to call her, "out there. What right do we have to stop her from living her life?"

"Are you _kidding_?" Tony scoffed. "You of all people think that what she does is okay?"

"I didn't say that," Steve shook his head. "I don't agree with her life choices, no. But what do you expect us to do about that?"

"Stop her," Tony answered slowly as if he was explaining a simple answer to a child. "We obviously can't let her just... go about the world, hurting innocent people."

"How do we know they're innocent?" Clint asked, shrugging when Tony turned to him with disbelief clear in his features. "What she does isn't that different from what Nat and I do. Sure she's creepy and disturbing and devious, but does that really make her a bad person?"

"I'm sorry," Bruce chuckled sarcastically under his breath, waving his hands and shaking his head. "Are we talking about the same person here? She's obviously not a _good_ person, so what would you call her?"

"Everything isn't so cut and dry," Steve disagreed. "Everyone isn't just good or bad. There's more to it than that. I thought you of all people would have understood that, Doctor."

Bruce averted his eyes to his intertwined hands at Steve's last statement, but this was by no means the end of the discussion. It continued on the entire time Veronika was out of the room, having her own heated discussion- though hers was mainly with herself inside her own head.

Once she was sure she was out of hearing range, Veronika's grin transformed into a stony expression as she glared at the wall in front of her. "I see you've returned to the Avengers," Alexei commented. "Am I to take this as a refusal to my proposition?"

Veronika looked back over her shoulder even though she was too far away to see the Avengers anymore, considering her options at this point. With the Avengers, she would at least have a chance at freedom. Even if they managed to take out Ivan, however, what was to stop them from deciding that she was too dangerous to allow back out into the world? What was to stop them from keeping her here, or locking her up? Absolutely nothing, that's what.

With Alexei and Ivan, she knew exactly what she was getting. It may be manipulative and underhanded, but at least she would know what to expect if she sided with him. He would want her to deceive the Avengers into a false plan, luring them directly into a trap. They would either be killed or captured and given the same treatment she could expect for herself- brainwashing and rehabilitation.

"I have no attachment to the Avengers," she eventually said, hoping in vain that a half-truth would be more convincing than an outright lie. "I don't care what happens to them. I'm only out to protect myself."

"So you say." Alexei hummed quietly to himself, enjoying the situation much more than he should. "Well then. Does this mean you've finally come to your senses?"

"You could say that."

"You're not understanding me, Veronika," he clarified with a harsh undertone that hadn't been there before. "I need to hear you say it."

Veronika returned her gaze to the bare wall in front of her, inhaling deeply through her nose and steeling her nerves before slowly releasing the breath. "What do you need me to do?"

* * *

 **Chapter 12 Preview**

"The people you'll encounter will be unlike any other you've fought against before," Veronika continued, pacing the small jet and looking at each Avenger in turn. "They won't be what you expect- children, beggars. Ivan loves to fool people... Let it come as no surprise to you when that time comes. Trust no one but yourselves."


	12. Recognizing Differences

**признания различий**

 _Recognizing Differences_

* * *

Without ever reaching a conclusion on how to deal with the situation surrounding Veronika's freedom, the group had separated and gone to bed to get some much needed rest before the following morning's activities. When the sun rose, they were all immediately in a flurry of activity.

Tony went to work on making sure his suit was fully operational. Natasha and Clint made sure the jet was loaded with gas and the gathered supplies that Thor and Steve helped carry inside. Bruce was sitting in front of a computer with a map of Russia pulled up and Veronika leaning over him, showing him where they would be flying to. They all had their assigned jobs to attend to, and even if they were divided on what would happen later, they all made the conscious decision to deal with that when the time came.

After all preparations were taken care of, the team boarded the jet one by one, ending with Tony who pressed the button to close the bay door behind them as Natasha and Clint strapped themselves into the pilot seats.

Steve had easily adapted into his role as leader of the Avengers- a role which mostly involved fronting the attacks in battle and giving the motivational speeches beforehand. Because of this, it was of no surprise to anyone when he stood just behind Natasha and Clint, addressing every person gathered in the small space.

"I know the last few days have been stressful for all of us. But none of that matters now. From what I understand, where we're heading will be one of the most dangerous situations any of us have ever found ourselves in- for one reason or another. Whatever tensions there are between us are non-existent starting now. As for what happens after... That's a problem for another time. Right now we need to stay focused. Veronika," he called out to the woman who was standing with her back against the wall near the exit.

She glanced up at the Captain and nodded, pushing off the wall to take over his job as speaker. "There's a small populated island in the middle of the Kara Sea. That's where we're headed. Hopefully you're all well equipped, because this will undoubtedly be the coldest climate you've ever experienced. It's also important to remember that we have no friends there. No matter how kind or trustworthy someone may seem, do _not_ \- under _any_ circumstances- get close enough for them to strike you. Because they will, and they will feel no remorse.

"The people you'll encounter will be unlike any other you've fought against before," Veronika continued, pacing the small jet and looking at each Avenger in turn. "They won't be what you expect- children, beggars. Ivan loves to fool people... Let it come as no surprise to you when that time comes. Trust no one but yourselves."

Veronika stopped next to Natasha, glancing at the floor before returning her eyes to the group. "When we get there, we'll separate into four groups."

"Woah, woah, woah," Tony interrupted, shaking his head. "Back up. That doesn't sound like a good plan. Like, _at all_."

"You don't know how these people operate."

"And you do?" he pushed. "You haven't worked for them in decades. How do you know their tactics are the same?"

"Stark-"

"No," Tony cut Steve off, still facing Veronika. "It's a valid question. It seems to me that if these people are as menacing as you make them out to be, separating is the worst thing we could do."

Veronika stalked closer to Tony, glaring at him as she leaned down to meet his eyes. "I don't think you understood me when I said that they feel no remorse. If we were all in one group, they wouldn't even blink before launching a missile and taking us all out at once, including their own people. Ivan may want Natasha and I back, but he's not an idiot. If killing you means killing us, he'll do it if he feels threatened enough. Four groups," she repeated, holding up four fingers and taking a step back, turning her back on Tony to once again face the team. "Keep in mind that this is a stealth mission- at least at first. There will be no explosions, no major attacks. Until we get inside, nobody can even know we're there. Each group will get in through a different entrance."

She held her hand out towards Bruce, who handed her the map of the island they had printed out before standing and helping her flatten it against the wall where everyone could see it. "Steve and Thor. You two will come in from the east," she instructed, tracing her finger along the path they would follow. "Most of their bunkers are on this side. Your job is to take them out before they can dispatch any reinforcements deeper into the base. Bruce and Tony. You two will be on the opposite side, over on the west. This," she tapped a small square representing a building, "is their energy supply. Shut that down and they'll be blind, at least for a time.

"Clint..." Veronika breathed in, preparing herself for the backlash she knew she was going to receive for saying this. "Your job is to keep Natasha safe."

"Hold on-"

"Lia, I know you think you can protect yourself." Veronika met Natasha's steady, willful gaze head on. "But I am not asking you. I am telling you. Don't be an idiot. You are going to keep Clint close, and you are going to let him help you. Understood?"

It took a moment, but when Natasha nodded, Veronika mimicked the movement and trailed her finger inwards from the top of the map. This was the job she wasn't looking forward to assigning, but she knew that it had to be done. "You two will enter from the back, but don't move in until you receive my signal."

"You said four groups," Bruce pointed out, knitting his eyebrows. "That's only three."

"I'll be alone. And before any of you protest, there aren't enough people for me to have a partner, and I know the layout better than any of you."

"Why don't you stay with them?" Thor asked, pointing towards Natasha and Clint, who had set the jet on autopilot so they could join the conversation. "Would it not be safer for you to wait until our jobs are done?"

"It might be," Veronika agreed. "But my safety isn't the point."

"And mine is?" Natasha asked dubiously. It wasn't like Veronika to be self-sacrificial, especially not for people she barely knew, let alone even liked.

"Being together would make it too easy to capture both of us at the same time. I'll be safe enough," Veronika dismissed, pointing towards the bottom of the map and dragging it upwards. "The two groups on either side will distract any stray attention away from me while I make my way in right through their front door. I won't be storming in, but I do want Ivan to know I'm there."

"Well that's idiotic." A few heads- including Veronika's- turned to stare at Clint when he spoke up for the first time with a scoff. "Why would you want the man we're taking all these extra measures to avoid to know exactly where you are? It doesn't make any sense."

"I said he would kill us all if he felt threatened _enough_ ," Veronika explained. "Ivan isn't stupid, but he isn't all-knowing either. He'll know that something is going on. If he knows I'm there, his first thoughts will be that I'm trying to take him out on my own. As long as the rest of you stay out of sight his focus will remain on me, giving you all the time you need to get your jobs done."

It was quiet for a minute or two while the Avengers considered exactly what is was that Veronika was proposing. She wouldn't be the only one of them in danger, but it was true that the plan did put her at the most risk.

Veronika could see that nobody exactly loved the plan, so she sighed and tried to explain it the best way she could think of to get them all on board. "I'm not just giving myself up. I'll stay out of harm's way as best I can, but the plan only works if I'm the one being seen. If it was any of you, he would know immediately that all of you were there. We don't have any other options."

It probably wasn't the safest plan, but Veronika wasn't lying about not having any other options. It was the best they could hope for in the current situation. "All right," Steve decided. "Everybody clear?"

There were nods and murmurs of approval from the group, so Veronika and Bruce rolled the map up and set it back down before returning to their original positions. With nothing left to discuss before they landed on the island, every one reverted into their thoughts.

Veronika was the only person still standing, relaxing with her back against a wall and her arms crossed over her chest as she stared at the floor while she ran the outcomes through her mind over and over and over again.

Alexei had proposed the plan to her yesterday after she agreed to work with him, and she had immediately known that he would have men positioned at every post she was sending the separated Avengers into. It wasn't as if she _wanted_ to betray them, but it was the only out she saw for herself. Never worry about your partners, protect yourself. This was the moral she had been raised on, and this was how she had acted in every previous group situation.

But Natasha had been raised on the same morals, and Veronika knew without a doubt that she would rather die than give up her fellow Avengers. How was it that she could be so protective? It didn't make any sense to Veronika- much like the sick feeling in the pit of her stomach that grew heavier with every mile closer they were to their destination.

Veronika moved her arms from her chest to her stomach, knitting her eyebrows. Turning over others for the sake of her own safety had never felt so wrong. What had changed this time? She glanced at the Avengers from the corner of her eye, wondering what was so different about them.

Steve was the only pure-hearted man she had ever worked with. Despite his mistrust of her, he always stuck up for her in arguments and tried his hardest to make her feel accepted.

Thor was caring. Even if he didn't exactly like her, he had never been anything less than kind to her.

Clint was the most interesting person she had ever spoken with, she was sure. If times weren't so dire, she could even see herself having riveting casual conversations with him.

Bruce was sweet and nervous, but not afraid to go against his own morals for the sake of those he considered to be his friends. He seemed skittish at first, but the more time she spent with him, the more she could see that he was exactly the opposite.

Tony was a sarcastic ass that she could barely stand to be around for longer than five minutes, but even so, she couldn't deny him his witty sense of humor or his craving to keep those he cared for safe from harm.

Natasha had willpower stronger than diamonds. Veronika had assumed that her Lia becoming the person she was today was a sign of weakness, when in reality it was proof of an immeasurable inner strength. While Veronika was still acting as if she had never left her immoral childhood, Natasha had grown into a better and stronger person.

Veronika closed her eyes with a silent sigh, resting her hands on the back of her neck and linking her fingers together. What had she gotten herself into with these people?

* * *

 **Chapter 13 Preview**

"Hurry!" Veronika shouted, gripping Natasha's hand and sprinting as quickly as her legs would carry her. There was no time now for regrets. No time for explanations, no time for remorse. "There's no time!"


	13. No Time To Save You

**нет времени** **,** **чтобы спасти вас**

 _No Time To Save You_

* * *

By the time the group landed on the outskirts of the small island, the sky was already beginning to grow dark. Clint brought the jet down behind a cluster of tall evergreen trees and the rest of them started dressing themselves in the outer layers of our clothing to fight the freezing Russian night air before leaving the jet.

After slipping on thin gloves, Veronika slapped the button to open the back of the jet and led the group out into the darkened wilderness. "You know your groups," she said over her shoulder, not allowing herself to look any of them in the eye due to her hesitance of going through with the plan. Holding her hands out to signal the directions, she gave them the same instructions she had on the flight over. "West, east. Clint, you and Natasha head west with Steve and Thor before circling around the back of the facility."

A gloved hand gripped her shoulder lightly while the others started the trek towards their own destinations, followed by a quiet voice. "You're sure you'll be okay on your own?" Natasha asked with the barest hint of concern in her voice.

Without looking at her, Veronika nodded once and started off down the center of the woods. She heard footsteps leading to her left for only a moment before they became silent. She walked deeper into the trees until she couldn't see any of the Avengers on either side of her before slowing to a stop and taking in her vast surroundings.

Once she was sure she was completely alone, Veronika pulled the cell phone out of her pocket and dialed Alexei's number, sweeping her eyes over the foliage while waiting for him to answer.

Without any form of a greeting, Alexei picked up and asked, "The Avengers?"

"Headed for their intended positions."

"Beautiful work, Nika. I'll be waiting for you at the end of the first hallway on your right once you enter the building."

Veronika flipped the phone shut and slid it back into her pocket before continuing on the path, failing to ignore the mental battle raging in her head. With every step closer to the point where she would wait for her go signal, the sympathetic voice in the back of her mind grew ever louder. She had made a mistake siding with Ivan. There was no way to justify this betrayal. She was a full-blown traitor against the Avengers, but the worst part was that she knew there was no way for her to save them all now.

When the facility was in sight she stopped once more and waited anxiously. Nearly two minutes later, a quick flash of light atop the roof signaled that Clint and Natasha had been ambushed. Faster than a streak of lightning, Veronika made up her mind and set off in the direction she knew Ivan's men would be chasing Natasha towards.

Natasha and Clint were separated as planned, retreating in opposite directions as Ivan's footsoldiers appeared from the back entrance of the previously suspiciously quiet building. While Clint ran back towards the west, Natasha took off to the east, checking over her shoulder every few steps to make sure the enemy wasn't gaining any ground on her.

Not even a minute later, she inadvertently ran straight into a pair of arms that grabbed her and held her still. Before she could react to her supposed attacker, they were linking their hand in hers and pulling her away from the facility. "Hurry!" Veronika shouted, gripping Natasha's hand and sprinting as quickly as her legs would carry her. There was no time now for regrets. No time for explanations, no time for remorse. "There's no time!"

Natasha quickly caught up to the situation and halted her footsteps, tugging Veronika back so she could stare skeptically at the uncharacteristically frantic woman. "What are you doing out here? You're supposed to be distracting Ivan."

"There's _no time_ ," Veronika repeated urgently. If she couldn't save all the Avengers, she was determined to at least save her sister. "Forget Ivan, we can deal with him another time. But as of right now, you and I need to _go_."

While Natasha and Veronika had their untimely argument, trouble was brewing on either side of them that only Veronika was aware of.

Bruce's work on disabling all communication systems within the fortress were halted by Tony's hand on his shoulder. "Did you hear that?" Tony asked with knit eyebrows, staring at the door to the small one-room building they had entered. When they found it empty they had considered it a stroke of luck, but at the unmistakable sound of footsteps closing in it seemed all too convenient.

Tony immediately slapped the button on the briefcase he was carrying to transform it into his suit while Bruce backed into an empty corner of the room, not wanting to fight unless absolutely necessary. Before Tony could even get one hand inside a thruster, however, the door burst open and two grenades were tossed in. Pink-tinted smoke curled out, invading the two men's breathable air and nauseating the both of them.

The Hulk screamed defiantly in the back of Bruce's mind at the attack, but he didn't have the chance to show himself as the gas dulled Bruce's senses. Within seconds, both he and Tony had collapsed to the cement floor.

On the opposite side of the island, the exact same attack was happening to Steve and Thor. Thor kicked the door in to the building that supposedly held reinforcements, but when he and Steve hurried into the room ready for a fight, they were confused to see that the room was completely empty.

They didn't even have the chance to ask each other what was going on before the door slammed shut behind them and dozens of vents lined along the walls shifted open. The same pink mist that had knocked out their two scientist friends quickly filled the air, and both men reacted as quickly as possible. Steve sprinted towards the vents while holding his breath and struggled to shut one, pulling down on the metal with all his strength.

By the time it slammed shut with a loud bang, Steve had dropped to the ground due to lack of consciousness. Meanwhile, Thor had been beating against the door in an attempt to free both himself and his comrade. He only had the chance to dent it with Mjolnir before he felt his muscles weakening in a way he had only experienced years ago when he had been banished to Midgard by his father, and he soon joined Steve in involuntary slumber.

Clint, who had attempted to escape the ambush on himself and Natasha by fleeing in the direction of where he knew Steve and Thor to be, only managed to find himself completely surrounded by Ivan's soldiers. He fared better than his friends had, being able to take down more than a few of them before he had multiple pairs of hands grabbing at his weapons and prying them out of his hands. Had there been less of them he would have been able to handle himself, but the simple fact was that he had quickly been overwhelmed.

Due to the open space, the pink gas wouldn't work on him, so one woman produced a needle from her belt and quickly shoved it into the archer's neck. He grunted angrily at the sharp prick, ripping the syringe out of his neck and swinging his arm to punch the woman who had attacked him. His fist only barely connected with her face before dropping limply against his side. One by one his limbs became paralyzed, and only seconds later he was face-down in the dirt as he lost the battle to keep his eyes from fluttering closed.

In the middle of the forest, the two women that had come with the Avengers were the only two not currently under siege. That could change quickly, however, if they didn't make their escape. "I'm not leaving without my friends." Natasha ripped her arm away from Veronika, taking a step back.

"You're not leaving _with_ them," Veronika growled with building irritation. "Ivan must have them by now. I promise to explain everything, if you'll just-"

"Why would he have them?" Natasha demanded to know, narrowing her eyes as her defensive reflexes kicked into gear. "He wasn't supposed to know we were coming."

Veronika sighed angrily, surveying the forest around them to assure herself that nobody was coming for them- at least not yet. "He knew," she finally admitted. "They always know. There isn't time to explain everything now, Lia, but you have to believe me when I tell you that it's too late for your friends. If we are going to have any chance of leaving this place with our lives, we can't waste another minute."

Despite Veronika's purposely vague explanation, everything immediately pieced together in Natasha mind, causing her anger towards Veronika to flare violently. With no warning, she grabbed the woman she once called sister by the neck of her shirt and slammed her into the nearest tree, her raging green eyes clashing against Veronika's cold blue ones with their faces only inches apart.

The last time Natasha was anywhere close to being this livid was when she heard Clint had been compromised by Loki, and even that paled in comparison to this betrayal. Ignoring the flicker of remorse she saw faintly in Veronika's expression, she openly displayed her anger with a scowl as she practically spat out her words. " _Where are they?_ "

* * *

 **Chapter 14 Preview**

Natasha released Veronika with a shove, stepping back and away from the unfamiliar woman. "I'm not leaving without them," she repeated. "And neither are you."

* * *

 **I'm so sorry for the long wait! I had some personal problems to deal with that have since been resolved, so I should be returning to my previous schedule of posting a chapter every day/every other day.**

 **A huge thanks to everyone who has read and reviews- especially frequent reviewers, such as SnowSongX347, mun3litKnight, Ninja0404 is a fanfiction geek, OmuiYuni, LucyNH, MisfitCarter, and Hurricane '97. I seriously love you guys, and your kind words inspire me to keep updating. :)**


	14. Unfortunate Circumstances

**Before you read this chapter, I was asked a question and I'd like to take the time to explain something a few of you may have been confused about during these last few chapters:**

Guest: I have been reading and kept quiet, but now it is bugging me. Alexei is Natalia's estranged husband according to Marvel. He wouldn't be with anyone else... *sigh* Even if you don't/didn't follow that, you have him with her sister, why?

 **The Alexei in this story is** _ **not**_ **the same Alexei from the comics universe. When I named the character, I wasn't thinking about him and accidentally gave my OC the same name. I realized this mistake a while ago, but didn't want to suddenly rename the character as I thought that might be confusing.**

 **However, if him having the same name is confusing/bothersome and you would prefer his name be changed, please leave a review or send me a PM letting me know that you would like for him to be renamed and I'll go back and change it.**

 **Allow me to clear this up for anyone who is/has been confused:**

 **As far as the MCU goes, Natasha is not married to Comic!Alexei. Therefore, she is not married to Comic!Alexei in this story. My OC!Alexei is just that, an original character, that just so happens to have the same name by mistake.**

 **I hope that's been cleared up for you all, and I apologize if you've been confused thus far. :)**

* * *

 **несчастные обстоятельства**

 _Unfortunate Circumstances_

* * *

Veronika stared back at Natasha with a range of emotions, from confusion to sympathy. She had never seen anyone care so fiercely for another, let alone anyone from her past. To see the woman that had once been the favorite of their childhood captors so changed was something she wasn't sure she could comprehend.

Even more than that, she found herself regretting turning over the Avengers. Now _that_ feeling, she _knew_ she could not comprehend. She had known them all of three days, and the vast majority of that time they had spent at odds with each other. With no time to ponder these revolutionary feelings, however, she tucked them away to contemplate at a later date- if there was ever to be a later date for her, that is.

"Ivan will have taken them into the main building," Veronika explained as calmly as possible, not wanting to anger Natasha further and provoke another violent reaction. "They'll be unconscious, and unable to make any form of escape with the forces Ivan has under his belt. He will have locked them away, under lock, key and guard. I am _sorry_ , Lia, but you must believe me when I say that there is no hope for your friends."

Natasha released Veronika with a shove, stepping back and away from the unfamiliar woman. "I'm not leaving without them," she repeated. "And neither are you."

Veronika remained standing with her back to the tree, though she did push her mussed hair back away from her face and huff with annoyance. No matter how different Natasha was, she easily recognized the fierce determination in her eyes that crumbled the last of her will. "If you are so intent on getting us killed over these people... how do you plan on getting them out?"

Natasha faltered for the first time, unclenching her fists as she considered her options at this point. She knew she couldn't simply abandon these people, but she also knew she couldn't simply walk in and demand to have them back.

At the sight of Natasha's unsureness, Veronika sighed and stared at the building in the distance. They would come searching for her soon, which didn't leave them much time to strategize. When you can't make a new plan... go with the old one. Veronika turned back to Natasha with a calculating look, nodding her head slowly. "I might have an idea."

* * *

Alexei looked up from his desk at the sound of his office doors opening, and a prideful grin spread quickly over his features at the sight before him. Veronika sauntered confidently into the room looking every bit as immaculate as he remembered her, from the dark, unruffled clothing on her body to the tiny smirk gracing her lips.

He dismissed the two teenage girls who had come to report on what had happened with the Avengers, waiting patiently for them to close the door behind themselves before opening his arms out towards his side in a show of peace. "Nika," he greeted with a cheerful tone. "How lovely to see you again. My only regret is that our reunion had to be under such... unfortunate circumstances."

"Yes, well." Veronika shrugged faintly, locking her hands behind her back as she met Alexei's gaze straight on. Rule number one, never take your eyes off the target. "I doubt any other circumstances would call for us to meet again."

Alexei chuckled, nodding as he circled his desk to lean back against the front of it with his arms crossed. "Fair enough. I'm sure you're aware that your friends are all very neatly tucked away."

"I'm aware that the Avengers are all very neatly tucked away," she corrected.

"Of course. My mistake. There was one problem, however."

Veronika raised one eyebrow with perfectly feigned ignorance. When she had spoken to Alexei over the phone, she had been frightened and unable to fool him. When she stood in front of him now, however, she had every confidence that he would be none the wiser of her intentions until she wanted him to be. "Oh?"

Alexei uncrossed his arms to press the palms of his hands against the desk on either side of his hips, nodding in answer to Veronika's surprise. "Natalia. She managed to escape the ambush on herself and that archer fellow. When my agents went after her, however, they found two sets of footsteps in the dirt. You wouldn't know anything about that, would you Nika?"

"If I had encountered Lia after that ambush, do you think I would have the pleasure of standing in front of you now?" Veronika asked with a slight scoff, as if the mere idea of the scenario was ridiculous.

Alexei hummed quietly to himself before shrugging and pushing off the desk, smiling once again at the woman in front of him. "I'm sure they'll track her down soon enough. She wouldn't want to leave without her friends. She's changed that way."

"And you'll knock that right out of her, I'm sure," Veronika said with a grin that made Alexei laugh as he closed in on her, clapping his hands against her shoulders.

"Of course. You have no idea how I have missed you, Nika. Discounting recent mistakes, I have always admired your intelligence."

Veronika hid her sarcasm well behind her smile as she resisted the urge to cringe at Alexei's touch, standing completely still. "Yes, I have made quite a few mistakes. Not now, though. I am sure of myself now."

"I'm glad. Come," he motioned towards the doorway. "Ivan is waiting for us down the hall." When Alexei stepped in front of the door, Veronika let out a low whistle that made him turn back in her direction with furrowed eyebrows. Before he had the chance ask her what the whistle was for, the door flew open against his back, knocking him to the floor.

Natasha stepped over the two girls on the floor as she entered the room, clapping her hands together to clean them of imaginary dust. "Did I miss anything good?"

Veronika glanced at Natasha with exhaustion as she walked over to Alexei, who was currently in a hurry to push himself off the floor and defend himself. She watched the scrambling man with disdain, unsure now of what she ever saw in him in the first place.

She had no long-winded speech of hatred for the man, but as he finally made his way back to his feet Veronika did allow him one good look at the disgust on her face before pointing a gun between his eyes. "You know, Alexei. I don't find these circumstances very unfortunate at all."

"You wouldn't-"

Following the gunshot that had been muffled thanks to Stark's specialized silencer, Veronika glanced between her gun and the now dead man on the floor before shrugging to herself and turning back to Natasha, who stood next to the open door with an impatient expression.

Veronika copied Natasha's earlier move of stepping over Alexei's body, symbolically leaving him in the dust as they cautiously left the room, preparing themselves for the imminent fight to come.

* * *

 **Chapter 15 Preview**

"In there," Veronika whispered, pointing towards the large metal door at the end of the hallway. "That's where Ivan is hiding. No doubt he's kept the Avengers close to him." She glanced at Natasha, who was watching the door with a cautious expression and a million outcomes whizzing through her head. "Ready?"


	15. We Are All Beyond Saving

**мы все за экономии**

 _We Are All Beyond Saving_

* * *

Veronika and Natasha tread carefully through the dark gray halls, both holding their guns at the ready and sweeping their vigilant eyes over every visible crevice, anticipating an attack. It wouldn't be long before word reached Ivan that the ambush on Natasha had failed, and Veronika knew all too well that he had no limits as to how far he would go to retrieve her.

"In there," Veronika whispered, pointing towards the large metal door at the end of the hallway. "That's where Ivan is hiding. No doubt he's kept the Avengers close to him." She glanced at Natasha, who was watching the door with a cautious expression and a million outcomes whizzing through her head. "Ready?"

Natasha brushed her finger over the trigger of the pistol in her hand, contemplating. If she and Veronika charged in, there was no questioning their failure. They could try to find a roundabout way in, but there was no telling how long that could take them and she wasn't willing to risk her friends' safety by taking her own sweet time. "Do you have another brilliant plan hidden up your sleeve?"

Veronika glanced at Natasha's restless fingers, the nervous tick setting her even further on edge. "I was hoping we might take turns with the 'on-the-fly' planning."

"Right. Of course you were." Natasha sighed, looking back over her shoulder to make sure nobody had followed them. "There's always the original plan. We could separate. One of us distracts Ivan while the other finds out where he's keeping everyone else."

"Brilliant," Veronika scoffed under her breath. "At least only one of us faces guaranteed disaster in that scenario."

"Hey, it's not like you're coming up with anything better."

Veronika, keeping her eyes firmly trained on the door ahead of her, let out a slow, deep breath as she considered their options. They didn't have many, and the few they did have undoubtedly resulted in both of them either back in Ivan's clutches or dead. She wasn't sure which was worse, but she _was_ sure that neither sounded very appealing.

"Right then." Veronika gripped Natasha's elbow and dragged her to the left end of the hallway before pointing the end of her pistol down another pathway. "You find your friends. I've got Ivan."

"Nika-"

"I got you into this mess..." Groaning as she stepped back and away from Natasha, Veronika returned her gaze to the entryway that led to her certain end. "I suppose it's only fair if I get you out of it." Veronika risked a peek back at her sister and allowed herself a small, sincere smile. "Do me a favor and try not to die. It would be a huge disappointment to find out that I got myself killed for nothing."

Natasha hesitated for only a moment before nodding her head and walking further through the hallway. "I'll do my best."

Veronika took note of the fact that Natasha didn't bother warning her to be careful, but didn't mention it as she watched her sneak out of sight. When she was once again alone, the smile fell from her face as she turned back to the intimidating door. "I should have retired when I had the chance."

Quickly recovering from her short sulk-fest, Veronika held her weapon defensively in front of herself and approached her fate with the utmost confidence in her failure.

* * *

Natasha kept her back to the wall as she made her way deeper into the building. She wasn't exactly sure where the rest of the team had been hidden, but surely they wouldn't be too far from Ivan himself. As a woman dressed in the same fashion as all of Ivan's other agents entered the hallway, Natasha crept back into the shadows and waited to see where she would go.

"Западное крыло ясно," the woman spoke clearly into a radio attached to her shoulder before looking through a small window attached to the door leading into a room on her right. "мстители все еще находятся под . будет возвращаться и выполнить второй развертки" _West Wing is clear. The Avengers are still under. Will loop back and perform the second sweep._

A second voice crackled back through the woman's radio, one she didn't respond to before continuing on her way through corridor. Once she was out of sight, Natasha slid out of the shadows and hurried towards the door she had seen the woman look through. Inside, she was relieved to see Clint relatively unharmed and sleeping, but disappointed to see that he was alone.

If her translation was correct- which she was sure it was- Natasha knew that the agent had said _all_ of the Avengers were still under. That must mean that she had checked in on the others before checking Clint. At least that gave Natasha an idea of where to find the rest of her friends. What mattered now, however, was getting inside of this room and waking Clint up. He may not be the absolute best at stealth missions, but if she could get his help, she knew it would be countless times easier to save everyone else.

Natasha took a moment to observe the door and make sure she was alone before looking down at the lock on the door. It was electronic, which made her smirk.

With a solution that just might work in mind, Natasha slid the thick bracelet off her right wrist and looped her fingers through the middle of it, holding her breath as she ripped apart a single link between the charged pellets. In between each one of the bullet-shaped barrels was a group of electrified wires that she would normally use to stun her enemies.

She twirled a group of the separated wires into a thick braid and positioned them over the lock on the door before twisting a separate wire over the others, the two ends sending out a shock just as they touched. Natasha ignored the jolt in her fingertips at the shocking sensation and pressed the wires closer together, causing multiple sparks to shoot out from the bracelet and fly straight into the lock.

The mechanism made several strangled beeps as warnings typed in Russian appeared on the small blue screen, warning of interference. For fear of these alerts being sent directly to Ivan, Natasha risked more pain to her fingers as she pressed the flickering cables closer together and further against the lock.

Seconds later, the lock shorted out and unlocked itself. Natasha responded by immediately releasing her bracelet and shoving her fingers that tasted of copper against her tongue to cool off the burns. She shook her fingers through the air and kicked her now useless bracelet to the side before pushing the door open and stepping inside the dark room, hurrying towards Clint. His wrists and ankles were shackled, but other than that he was unrestrained.

"Come on, Barton," Natasha mumbled to the unconscious man as she produced a small pack from her belt and selected a pick to use on his restraints. "I'm getting you the hell out of this crazy place."

* * *

As Veronika pushed the alarmingly unlocked door open, she forced her breathing into a steady pattern to keep herself calm and ready for any sudden attacks. No doubt Ivan would have surrounded himself by as many of his agents as possible, ready to watch and laugh as they outnumbered her. He always did love to...

Veronika took only one step into the room before knitting her eyebrows. It was completely dark, with no indication of anyone having ever been in there. With her guard raised impossibly further, Veronika kept her gun at the ready as she waited impatiently for her vision to adjust to the blackness that surrounded her and walked further into the room. Part of her wanted to call out for Ivan, to tell him that she was unperturbed by his scare tactics. It would have been a lie, of course, but when had that ever stopped Veronika before?

She wasn't the one to speak, however. The sound of the door closing behind her caught Veronika's attention for a split second before being aimed towards a voice in the darkness. "I warned Alexei that you were not to be trusted," Ivan's gruff voice called out. Veronika turned her weapon in the direction of the voice, but before she could fire, it had seemingly moved to the opposite side of the room. "I should thank you for disposing of him for me. He was always too soft on you. It would have been sweet, if it wasn't so... _sickening._ "

"If only that were true," Veronika retorted, internally shouting at her eyes to spot Ivan. Despite her time in the dark, she still could see nothing. "Nothing you ever do is unintentional. The moment you told him to plant that phone in my pocket, you knew he wouldn't survive. Didn't you?"

A throaty chuckled surrounded Veronika, and she wasn't sure which direction to turn to defend herself. "Ah, how I enjoy your perceptiveness, Veronika. It is a true shame that you use it for such hopeless endeavors. Imagine what we could have accomplished together."

"Could have? You don't mean to... rehabilitate me, then?"

"Oh, no." Ivan sighed, sounding genuinely disappointed. "No, I do believe you have fallen beyond saving. You and Natalia both. While I admit I had hoped to bring you both home, I see now that you could never truly be my daughters again."

"I suppose I should count myself lucky."

"No, Veronika... I don't believe you should."

The lights suddenly switched back on, momentarily blinding Veronika and causing her to reflexively cover her eyes. When she lowered her hands, she saw that the room she was in was completely empty. The light reflected off the seamlessly connected white floors and walls, casting the illusion that Veronika wasn't even in a room at all, but a small area outside of both time and space.

With her attention foolishly stuck on the impeccable space in front of her and her stinging eyes still adjusting to the brilliant luminescence of the room, Veronika didn't even register the presence behind her until it was too late.

She felt everything happen in slow motion, from the knife tearing through the flesh and muscle of her back to the scraping of the blade against her ribs as it was mercilessly twisted and yanked out of her. A rough hand gripped the side of her face, tugging harshly at her hair as an involuntary gasp escaped her lips.

"You should have never betrayed me," Ivan growled in Veronika's ear as he released her and she collapsed to the floor. She saw him for the first time when he stepped around her, crouching in front of her face and twisting the knife between his two hands. "You were a fool to think you had even the _slightest_ chance of saving them." Veronika might have thought it was a bit much- his monologuing- if she wasn't so busy trying to keep her eyes open.

"If you want to stab me in the back, I will give you the _exact same treatment._ If Natalia wants to abandon me for the losing side, she can share their fate and die by my hand. You two believe you are so clever, coming into my home and killing my operatives. Surprise, Veronika. There is no Headmistress anymore. There is no Red Room. There are no _ballerinas_. There is only me, and my army. There are only the _winners_."

At the end of his speech, Ivan stopped twirling the blade and pressed the side of it against Veronika's cheek. It would have been cool to the touch if she herself wasn't growing cold from the loss of blood. As cruel as she had always known him to be, Ivan chuckled as he used her face as a rag to clean her blood from his weapon.

"At least you will be of use to me one last time."

When the blood had been sufficiently transferred from his blade to her cheek, Ivan stood and marched out of the room without another word, slamming the door loudly behind himself.

Once she was alone, Veronika abandoned the last of her pride and spewed blood from her mouth as she struggled to breathe, the bright red liquid contrasting greatly against the formerly pristine white floor. If she could have seen behind herself, Veronika would have known that the same bright color was pooling behind herself and trailed all the way to the door thanks to Ivan's careless footsteps through the blood.

While the actual wound was stinging hot, a cool numbness crept outwards from the injury and was slowly snaking its way down Veronika's arms and legs. She wasn't sure if the knife had reached her spine, or if her inability to move stemmed from the blood loss, but either way she was glad to be alone as her chin quivered and her breathing became increasingly rapid. All she could hope for now was that Natasha could stay away from Ivan long enough to rescue her friends. She refused to believe that this would all be for nothing.

Despite all this, Veronika was no quitter. She refused to go down without a fight. What was left of her dwindling strength she focused into her hands as she shakingly attempted to push herself off the floor.

* * *

 **Chapter 16 Preview**

Natasha whipped around to face the rest of her opponents, only to find that they were already incapacitated on the floor. Her eyes lifted from the two bodies to see Clint leaning heavily against the wall, panting slightly. "I'm not completely useless, y'know."


	16. Where There Is Tragedy, There Is Humor

**где есть трагедия** **,** **есть юмор**

 _Where There Is Tragedy, There Is Humor_

* * *

Natasha tapped Clint's cheek a few times, holding his jaw to keep his head in place. "We don't have time for this," she complained in a low voice. " _Wake. Up._ " When his eyes remained closed, she sighed. "All right then."

One good, hard slap later Clint's eyes fluttered open as he sucked in a harsh breath, startling awake. "Wh-hmm?" he slurred, rubbing his cheek while his eyes refocused. In front of him he saw a blur of red and black that slowly faded into Natasha after a few harsh blinks. "Nat?"

"Finally." Natasha finished pushing Clint's restraints to the side and lifted his arm, wrapping it over her shoulder. "Come on, Barton. Nap time's over."

"They knew," Clint said in a garbled mess. His mouth was too numb to form very coherent sentences, but he hoped Natasha was understanding him. "I don't... I t-tried, but-"

"They knew we were coming, you tried to defend yourself. I know. Now shut up before somebody hears you."

Clint obediently shut his mouth while Natasha pulled him to his feet and started dragging him from the room he didn't remember being brought to. He didn't actually remember much of anything after being pricked in the neck. Whatever was in that needle had one hell of a kick, he did know that much.

What Natasha knew was that the Avengers were all in the West Wing, and... Nope, that was it. The woman from earlier had come through the first corridor on her left, so she assumed that this was her best bet of finding anyone else. Pulling Clint tighter around her shoulders, she started in that direction and sincerely hoped that she wouldn't have to carry every one of her teammates out of the building.

Shuffling footsteps caught Natasha's attention, and she held a finger to her lips as a signal for Clint to keep quiet. After removing him from her side and leaning him up against the wall, Natasha took a few steps forward and waited for the steps to either grow quieter or louder.

Louder. Wonderful.

With nowhere to hide, and no way to run with Clint, Natasha readied her fists. Moments later, two men and two women rounded the corner. As soon as their eyes landed on Natasha, they were immediately arming themselves with as many weapons as they could get their hands on. This would ultimately be their downfall.

By the time the first man had pulled the gun strapped to his back over his head, Natasha had twisted his arms back behind his back and slammed him face first into the wall. When one of the women tried to get at Natasha's back she used the shoulders of the man she was holding as a springboard to lift herself into the air, kicking off the wall and landing on top of the woman behind her. In virtually no time at all, half of Ivan's agents were down. It was almost disappointing, frankly.

Natasha whipped around to face the rest of her opponents, only to find that they were already incapacitated on the floor. Her eyes lifted from the two bodies to see Clint leaning heavily against the wall, panting slightly. "I'm not completely useless, y'know."

"At least you don't sound like an infant," Natasha allowed, gesturing towards his feet. "Can you walk, or do I still need to carry you?"

Clint, using a bit more energy than was usually required, worked his face into a teasing expression. "I do enjoy a good piggy-back-ride."

Natasha took this to mean that Clint was perfectly capable of walking on his own, and turned her back on him to continue her search for the others. "Just try to keep up, Barton." As she passed by one of the men on the floor, she quickly picked up his key card to avoid having to break her other bracelet to release her other friends.

Clint might have been perfectly content to silently follow behind Natasha if this were any other mission, but this wasn't any other mission. He had no idea where the rest of the Avengers were, how Natasha had managed to escape, where Veronika was... Other than the fact that he _really_ wanted a chance to shove an arrow through this Ivan guy's throat, he was clueless. Choosing to ask one question at a time while staying quiet enough as to remain undetected, Clint stuck close to Natasha as she continued to check every room they passed. "Do you know where the others are?"

"I'm not window shopping, Clint. If I knew where they were, I wouldn't currently be looking for them."

Fair enough. Next question. "How did they know we were coming? The whole point of this mission was supposed to be to surprise Ivan." Natasha kept her mouth shut, sighing through her nose as she checked yet another dead end room. Clint wasn't exactly sure what that meant, but he got the distinct feeling Nat wanted him to shut up. Again, fair enough.

Instead of asking any further questions, Clint tried to speed up the search by going to the opposite end of the hall and taking half the burden from Natasha. Almost immediately after he did this, he waved his hand behind his back at Natasha while staring inside a room. "Nat! In here."

Natasha abandoned the window she was looking through to join Clint where she saw Tony sprawled on the floor, mouth hanging open and a bit of drool stuck to the corner of his lips. If she had found him like this back at Stark Tower, she would have assumed he was black out drunk. After swiping the stolen key card, she pushed the door open and walked over to Tony's side.

"Let him out," she instructed Clint, handing him her lockpick with a half-smile. "I really love having an excuse to slap you guys. You should consider getting knocked out more often."

Clint silently mocked her words with a stupid face behind her back as he took the pick from her before rolling his eyes and kneeling down to release Tony. Natasha rolled Tony's head so that he was facing the ceiling before pulling her hand back and slapping him harshly across the face.

Tony shot up like a bullet, a small yelp of surprise blurting out. He shook his head frantically, searching the room for a possible threat as he pulled his wrists against their restraints to defend himself. If he had learned anything since being kidnapped in Afghanistan, it was that your captors never woke you up for anything good.

Luckily for him, when his vision cleared he saw that it wasn't a group of Russians standing in front of him, but only the one. He imagined the smirk on her face was very similar to one the others would have worn, however. "You," he groaned, rubbing a heavy hand down his face. "'bout time you... bleh." Tony opened his jaw wide, scratching at his beard. "Can't talk."

"Thank god for small miracles," Clint mumbled as he finished releasing Tony's ankles and shifted to start on his wrists. Tony glared heavily at the man, his hatred for the people who had drugged him growing even more due to his inability to produce a witty comeback thanks to a dulled mind and numbed tongue.

When Tony was released, Natasha mimicked her earlier action of helping him to his feet and leading him out of the cell. He tried to insist that he could walk perfectly fine on his own, but judging by how he could barely say the words, Natasha simply shot him a withering look before tightening her grip on his arm.

There were a few incidents as the three worked their way through the West Wing, retrieving the Avengers one by one, but as the group grew larger and stronger, they became increasingly easier to deal with. If nothing else, at least they could all find small comforts in the way each of them was woken up.

When they found Steve, Tony begged- as much as Tony Stark _can_ beg- Natasha to let him be the one who slapped him awake. The only reason she let him was because he was practically vibrating with the frequency of his overly enthusiastic bouncing as he pleaded with her. "Oh boy," Tony chuckled, clapping his hands and rubbing them together in preparation. "I wish I could get this on tape."

Needless to say, the Captain wasn't very pleased when he woke inside an enemy base and saw Tony standing above him, covering his mouth to shush his giddy giggles.

Bruce was the next Avenger to be spotted. Whether from the adorable way the doctor was quietly snoring or from fear of him Hulking out, nobody in the small group wanted to be the one to slap him awake. Eventually Clint offered to wake him, though he did it by nudging his foot into Bruce's side while remaining a good foot and a half away from the man. Bruce twitched his nose and shook his head, mumbling too quietly for anyone to hear what he said as he blinked his eyes open.

As the drugs faded, Bruce groaned with pinched features before blinking his eyes open. At the sight of most of his friends standing in front of him, he rubbed his eyes and used his elbow to push himself up. "Did we stop them?"

Once Bruce was taken care of, with Steve giving Natasha a break by offering to help Bruce until he was capable of walking on his own, Thor was the final person for the Avengers to rescue. Well, almost...

While the group searched for their thundering friend, Natasha's mind was on Veronika's fate. No alarms had been pulled- at least not to her knowledge- so she knew that at least Ivan hadn't alerted the entire facility to Veronika's presence and betrayal. Whether that was a good thing or not, she wasn't sure.

On one hand, this could mean that Veronika had taken Ivan out and was perfectly fine. That was a slim chance in the first place, and even if it had happened, why hadn't she come to find Natasha and assist her in their escape?

On the other hand, Ivan may have easily dealt with Veronika himself and felt no need to bother others with what would have essentially been her execution. That seemed much more likely than option one.

There was, however, a third scenario. One Natasha didn't want to believe, but one she couldn't completely ignore due to recent circumstances. There was every possibility that Veronika was still on Ivan's side, and was roaming these very halls looking for her right this very second.

Whatever the circumstances, Natasha's current focus was going to be on getting Thor and... what? Leaving Veronika behind? Waiting for her at the jet? How long should they wait? Separating had been a truly terrible idea.

Unknown to the Avengers, Ivan had not simply left Veronika to bleed out for no reason. He would have liked to stay and watch the traitor die, but he had more important matters to attend to. Such as collecting his group of elite agents and walking with them out of the main building and through the forest, back to the building that Thor and Steve had been captured in.

When Ivan walked into the room that usually served as his main arsenal, his eyes darted immediately to the abandoned hammer on the floor. A smile spread over his features, and he snapped his fingers to capture the attention of one of the agents who had accompanied him. "Sir?" the small-framed woman asked, standing perfectly at attention.

"When Natalia tries to leave with her friends, make sure their vehicle is not where they left it."

* * *

 **So I thought that after these last few chapters you guys deserved a bit of a break, so I threw some humor in for you. In other news, the climax of the story is nearing!**

* * *

 **Chapter 17 Preview**

The halls they had come through only minutes ago were distinctly different, the striking difference being the first thing each Avenger noticed as they rounded the corner. The previously white passageways were now stained with sloppy red tracks, from stumbling footsteps to handprints that slid down the walls. How anybody could have lost so much blood and survived was beyond them, but even that was not the most interesting part of the trail.


	17. V For Veronika

**В течение** **Veronika**

 _V For Veronika_

* * *

It took a good three slaps opposed to the usual one, but eventually Natasha was able to wake Thor. He woke in a similar manner to the others, with a surprised gasp and a sudden twitch of the muscles. "Glad to have you back," Natasha greeted, patting his shoulder before standing up. Clint had just finished freeing him from his chains, and Thor rubbed at his red wrists as he stood.

"They took you all as well?" Thor questioned, his senses returning to him quicker than they had for the others, motioning towards the rest of the Avengers in the room.

"Somehow," Steve answered. The entire setup baffled him, but nothing more than the fact that they found less resistance the deeper they went in rather than more. It was usually the other way around. "Apparently they knew we were coming."

"I still don't understand that part," Bruce added. "How did they know exactly when and where all of us were going to be?"

"Isn't that obvious?" Tony scoffed, being the only person willing to bring up what everybody else had hoped was untrue. He was probably the most on edge out of the entire team. When they had put him under, they'd taken his Iron Man suit and hidden it somewhere, leaving him practically defenseless. Sure he had practiced boxing with Happy, but what good was that supposed to do him against trained professionals? "I know I'm not the only person that's noticed we're one victim short."

The rest of the Avengers had noticed Veronika's absence, but other than Clint, nobody had brought her up. Whether they had either assumed she was going to be rescued later or she had been sent out by Natasha for one reason or another, they all wanted to deny that she would have had anything to do with their capture. Yes, she had been the one to propose the plan. Yes, she was the only one not around. Yes, they never really trusted her in the first place. The list went on, but despite all this, they didn't want it to be true.

Natasha brought the conversation back to the matters at hand. "What matters most right now is getting out of here alive. Finding Ivan would be an added bonus, but he is no longer our priority."

"I don't like leaving a mission unfinished," Steve mumbled half to himself, shaking his head.

"We don't exactly have a choice." Clint checked the hallway to make sure their cnversation would have no unexpected interruptions. "We might be up and walking, but none of us is in peak fighting condition. Our main objective is getting back to the jet with all our limbs in tact."

"And Veronika?" Bruce glanced at his friends one at a time, his arms crossed over his chest. He didn't especiialy like the woman, but he didn't want to simply leave her behind either.

Nobody really had an answer for that. If a few of them believed that she was to blame for this mess, they still didn't feel right leaving it up to assumption and abandoning her on ideas alone. "She went to take Ivan on herself," Natasha answered after a while, giving the team her first straight answer on Veronika's whereabouts. Her facial expression was neutral, but Clint could detect the faintest hint of regret in her tone. "In all likelihood, we shouldn't expect to see her again. If we do, we'll get her out. Nothing else matters. Agreed?"

Everyone nodded, and Natasha motioned towards the door. "Then let's get moving."

* * *

Veronika knew she was going into shock by the time she made it back onto her feet. Despite the sweat slowly rolling from her forehead down to her cheek smeared with blood, her hands felt cold and clammy. Her heart was racing, which she was trying to slow down with even breaths to prevent herself from bleeding out any quicker. Her arms and legs felt wobbly, but at least the blade had missed her spine, leaving her able to walk- albeit at an increasingly frustrating slow pace.

She felt like an infant learning to take their first steps by how long it took her to get all the way back to the room's entrance and tug the door open. She also now saw the blood-stained footsteps Ivan had left behind mingling with her own, but she chose to look forward and ignore those. The adrenaline pumping through her body was the only thing keeping her on her feet right now, and if she lost her nerve for even a minute this could all go to hell much too soon for her tastes.

As quickly as she was able, Veronika made her way through the abandoned halls by leaning heavily against the walls for support and taking it one step at a time. She didn't know whether Natasha had been able to complete her goal of finding all her friends yet, but even though she hoped that she had, there was something else worrying Veronika at the moment.

How the hell was Natasha supposed to find _her_? For all Veronika knew, Natasha could assumed that she was dead at this point and leave her behind. That didn't sit well with her.

An idea struck- a morbid idea, but that was the least of Veronika's problem at the moment- and she faced the wall she was currently resting on. Her hand was streaked with blood from applying pressure to the wound in her back, and she used this as a paint of sorts, drawing a quick V on the wall, the point showing the direction Veronika was walking.

This was an old trick that Veronika and Natasha had used when they were children. If they had something to hide, or wanted to know where they could meet outside of training, they left their initials to show each other where the other could be found. A V for Veronika, and an L for Lia.

Confident that Natasha would remember, Veronika nodded at her handiwork before continuing on her way. If Natasha hadn't left already, she would find her.

* * *

Natasha led the group back the way they had come, Steve having positioned everyone in the way he deemed best if a fight should erupt. He and Clint flanked either side of Natasha while Bruce and Tony, being the most vulnerable of the group, stood behind them with Thor bringing up the rear.

The halls they had come through only minutes ago were distinctly different, the striking difference being the first thing each Avenger noticed as they rounded the corner. The previously white passageways were now stained with sloppy red tracks, from stumbling footsteps to handprints that slid down the walls. How anybody could have lost so much blood and survived was beyond them, but even that was not the most interesting part of the trail.

Natasha stepped away from the group and ran her hand along the wall, her fingers brushing just under a dark red V. "Is that an arrow?" Clint asked, moving to stand just behind her and look over her shoulder.

"You could say that," Natasha answered somewhat cryptically, an almost undetectable smile pulling at the edge of her lips. She recognized this symbol. "Veronika was here."

"Then this is hers?" Thor gestures towards the multiple blood splotches spread throughout the corridor.

"That seems the most likely answer," Steve nodded.

"And she's still alive?" Tony let out a low whistle, poking his head around another corner to see that the trail continued. "Well, she's determined. You gotta give her that much."

"Determination or no," Bruce fidgeted with his glasses, annoyed that the soldiers had cracked the right lens during their capture, "she isn't going to get very far. Honestly, I'm surprised she made it this far without... you know." He didn't want to outright say that she should have dropped dead already, so instead he waved his hands uselessly in front of himself with a sigh. "My point being that wherever she is, she won't be around much longer."

Natasha stared at the V for another moment before averting her gaze to the floor, walking with her own feet beside the drying footsteps. "Veronika is smart. She'll be leading us somewhere." She looked up when she reached the next hallway and immediately spotted another V pointing towards the exit of the facility. "Where are you taking us?"

* * *

 **Chapter 18 Preview**

One, two, three deep breaths. Don't rush, don't take too long. Everything has to be just... right... She pulled the trigger, and both agents dropped to the floor at the same time. "Two birds with one bullet," Veronika breathed to herself with the beginnings of a smug smile. "Seems I'm not completely useless after all, Ivan. How about that?"


	18. Hide And Seek

**Sorry for yet another long wait! I was on vacation out in a cabin in the woods and had no internet for a while, so I couldn't update any of my stories the entire time I was there! But I'm back now, and with a longer than usual chapter to hopefully make up for it. Thank you all for being so patient with me during waiting times. You're all awesome possums.**

* * *

 **прятки**

 _Hide And Seek_

* * *

Veronika swung her arms slightly, staring at the tree branch above her. This was going to be painful. "You can do this," she quietly encouraged herself. "It's just a few feet. Don't be a wimp." Taking a deep breath, she leapt up and grabbed onto the branch. The strain in her arms immediately set her back on fire, forcing her to bite her bottom lip to stop herself from screaming while she pulled herself up further. She was in agony, but at least she was safer up here.

Once she was a few branches up, Veronika pressed her forehead against the trunk of the tree and took a few calming breaths. Her back had stopped bleeding at one point, something she had Dr. Kudrin's enhancements for. Without them, there would have been no possibility of her surviving.

The harsh crunching of pine needles pulled Veronika back to reality. She pulled the pistol she had recovered from the white room from the back of her pants as she shifted to lie on her stomach, surveying the surrounding area. She hoped to see somebody helpful, but it was only two of Ivan's lackeys. She trained her gun on them, but paused when they started speaking.

"Как вы думаете, мы переехали его достаточно далеко?" Veronika rolled her eyes at the woman's lack of caution, speaking confidently as if there was no possibility they would be caught. _Do you think we have moved it far enough?_

"они не найдут его," the man walking to the woman's right answered with the same inflated confidence. "Кроме того, я сомневаюсь, что любой из них будет оставить без их драгоценных оружия . Они придут на склад, и мы будем ждать их." _They will not find it. Besides, I doubt any of them would leave without their precious weapons. They will come to the warehouse, and we will be waiting for them._

The woman nodded along as the man spoke, silently agreeing with him. Veronika assumed they were speaking of the jet, as that was the only escape plan set in place for the Avengers. What she _hadn't_ known- but in hindsight should have assumed- was that they were practically defenseless. Of course they would have stripped the Avenger's gear when they took them!

This, of course, meant that only Natasha would have any gear on her. Not that a gun and bracelets would do much damage when it came to a small army...

That wasn't Veronika's issue at the moment, however. These two chattering imbeciles were. Seeing as they had served their purpose, Veronika wasted no time in realigning her weapon in their direction.

One, two, three deep breaths. Don't rush, don't take too long. Everything has to be just... right... She pulled the trigger, and both agents dropped to the floor at the same time. "Two birds with one bullet," Veronika breathed to herself with the beginnings of a smug smile. "Seems I'm not completely useless after all, Ivan. How about that?"

With both agents out of her way and a destination in mind, Veronika returned her gun to the back of her pants and stood on the branch, looking around for the easiest and least painful way to get to the next tree.

* * *

Natasha ran her fingers over the damp earth, rubbing it between her fingers. When she dropped the dirt her fingertips were still stained red. "This way," she called over her shoulder, standing back up and continuing down Veronika's path.

"The warehouse Thor and I checked out is that way," Steve mentioned. "It was empty when we were in there, though. Why would she be taking us that way?"

"Mjolnir is still there," Thor suggested. "And I suspect that they may have taken Tony's suit there as well."

"How would Veronika know that, though?"

Clint shrugged at Tony's question, though he kept his eyes straight ahead. He had already been jumped twice since having been here, and he was determined to be prepared if a third time arose. "It makes sense. If the room is armored- which it probably is- then that would make the most sense for a place where Ivan could make his last stand."

The group accepted this as the best explanation they were going to come up with for now and continued following after Natasha, who remained mostly silent as she tracked Veronika's path. To be completely honest, she was surprised that Veronika had survived an encounter with Ivan. According to Bruce, though, that wouldn't be the case much longer.

Natasha was no fool, however. She was fully aware of the weight of what Veronika had done to her and her friends. She was willing to sacrifice the many for the sake of her own safety. That was no little mistake. At the same time, Natasha understood why she had done what she did.

Veronika had been raised in an environment where there were very few, very clear rules. You followed orders, and you protected yourself. Though the following orders rule had seemingly dissipated after leaving the Red Room, her own survival was still very much ingrained into Veronika's being.

It was still a struggle for Natasha to put herself at risk after all these years, and she'd had the help of more than a few amazing people along the way. The more Natasha thought about it, the more she recognized that Veronika had more than likely never had a support system outside of herself. Due to that, she would never have needed to learn to put others above yourself. Hell, she hadn't even learned to ask for help. If Veronika had simply told her that she was being threatened by Ivan, Natasha could have done more to protect her.

Yes, Natasha was livid that Veronika had betrayed her. Yes, she still planned on kicking her ass once it was fully healed and functional. But she also wanted to help her realize her misgivings, and maybe one day even Veronika could change. It was highly unlikely, but maybe.

"We can do this." Natasha was pulled out of her thoughts by Bruce's quiet voice, and she looked back over her left shoulder to see him watching her with a careful smile. "It might not be pretty, but we'll get out of this. If we can handle gods and aliens invading the planet, we can handle one man with a few guns."

Even though he had mistaken her silent contemplation for fear of Ivan, Natasha still appreciated the gesture from the doctor. Smiling back at him, she nodded. "Right. How hard can it actually be?"

Clint snorted at Natasha's rhetorical question, causing her to roll her eyes as she returned her attention to the... Her eyebrows furrowed as the trail ended, replaced by two bodies. She stepped forward cautiously to check whether they were out cold or dead, but the bullet holes through their foreheads were evidence enough of their demise.

"Seems Gretel's been busy," Tony commented when he got a good look at the bodies. "Though her bread crumbs seem a lot bigger than I remember. And more... cadaver-shaped."

Tony's sass was ignored by the Avengers- as it so often is- while they focused more on the fact that after killing these two Veronika seemed to simply disappear. Natasha had crouched down again to run her hands over the soil, hoping to find another drop of blood, while most of the others looked around for any small sign of her.

Steve was the first person to notice anything. When he glanced upwards, he caught sight of the smallest snap in a low-hanging branch overhead. Curious, he wandered closer to the tree to get a better look. Right at the base of the branch was a tiny crack, something he recognized well from his childhood.

Although he had been too sickly to play outdoors much as a child, Bucky had always brought him along so he wouldn't felt left out. As they grew bigger, the smaller trees Bucky climbed showed similar breaks in the branches to this one.

"I think she went up," he guessed aloud, staring at the branch. When the rest of the team looked to him for a better explanation, he jumped up onto the branch and pulled himself into the tree. From his spot standing next to the base of the tree, he looked down at the bodies. It was a pretty clear shot from up here, and the thick pine needles added to the dark surroundings provided plenty of cover to avoid being spotted.

Using the trunk as a support, he stood on the branch and looked out over the surroundings trees. To his left was another branch only a few feet higher, one that could easily be reached from where he was standing now.

"You seeing anything?" Natasha asked, standing directly beneath him.

"A path." Steve reached out for the next branch, leaning forward to see if he could find the path she would have followed. "I think it leads to the warehouse. I may not know very much about Veronika, but I know she's smart. This would be the smart way to move around without being seen."

"Good enough for me." When Natasha raised an eyebrow in his direction, Clint shrugged. "It's not like we have much else to go on."

It wasn't the most solid evidence, but Natasha had to agree that it was the only evidence they had. With a sigh of resignation, she nodded. "Let's go, then."

* * *

By the time she was standing in a tree branch above the warehouse, Veronika could feel the adrenaline slowing down. This also meant that the pain in her back was becoming more prominent, and was repeating its slow creep outwards through her arms and legs. She had almost slipped out of the trees on her way over here more times than she could admit without wounding her pride.

Even so, pain management was the least of her worries at the moment. If the Avengers were as quick-witted as she was giving them credit for, they should hopefully be close. If they weren't... well, she had already prepared herself for the worst case scenario the moment she agreed to help Natasha.

Bracing herself for another agonizing impact by holding in a deep breath, Veronika carefully dropped onto three lower branches before standing directly in front of a sealed off vent. Every nerve ending in her body was screaming at her to just drop dead already, but she was much too stubborn to listen to anyone- even her own body.

The vents were dark and cold, but they were large enough for her to fit inside. Now all that stood in her way was a grated piece of metal. She found herself wishing Ivan had left his knife behind as she considered how to get the hatch open. All she had on her in the way of tools was a pistol with five bullets. Unless...

Reaching back, she pulled the clip out of her hair and brought it to the front of her face. While her hair fell messily over her shoulders, she smiled at the multi-pronged tool. This could work.

* * *

 **Chapter 19 Preview**

"You are so predictable!" Ivan laughed loudly, clapping his hands together. "I truly thought the Avengers would be more... challenging? It's almost disappointing how easily you've come to me. Like moths to a flame," he compared, shaking his head. "Ah, well. Let us get on with the fun part, yes?"


	19. The Final Confrontation

**Окончательный конфронтации**

 _The Final Confrontation_

* * *

The Avengers stood hidden amidst the trees in front of the large warehouse, exactly where they had guessed Veronika's trail would end, preparing themselves for the confrontation to come. Natasha had spread her stash of weapons out, supplying Steve with a pistol and Clint and Tony with knives. After that, they arranged themselves in the formation that they could in the given circumstances. Natasha would walk in first with Steve and Thor on either side of her, the latter calling Mjolnir back to his side when the fight began. Bruce would follow after them, ready to transform the second it became necessary. Tony and Clint would come in at the rear, making sure nobody snuck up behind any of them.

After this was decided, Natasha scanned the group. Usually Steve was in charge, but given that she was the only one here with any knowledge of the situation, he had silently handed her the reigns. "Don't do anything until I do. I'll try to take out Ivan first and the rest should scramble."

There was a collective nod of understanding, and the lack of sarcastic comments from a certain member of the group showed just how serious the situation was. None of them knew exactly what to expect going in there, but they were confident they could handle it. It was only a few people, after all. How difficult could it really be?

* * *

After a few failed attempts that effectively ruined Veronika's hair clip, she finally unscrewed all four bolts holding the vent closed. She wasn't quite sure what to do with the grate after that, so she wedged it between two intertwining branches to keep it out of sight. With that out of her way, she stuck her arms inside of the small passageway and began pulling herself inside. It was a tight fit, but luckily she was just barely able to shimmy her way in and have enough room left over to crawl inwards. Her back was still burning, but she began to hope that the injury had missed anything vital and the pain was mostly from blood loss. That would be the best case scenario, which was rarely the actual one, but she had little else to hope for here.

While making her way deeper into the vent, Veronika heard quiet voices coming from inside the warehouse, so she kept her breathing and movements as minimal and silent as possible to listen in on the conversations.

"Сэр, Крупин и Соколов еще не вернулись," one unfamiliar voice stated. "Должен ли я послать кого-нибудь, чтобы найти их?" _Sir, Krupin and Sokolov have not returned yet. Should I send someone to find them?_

"Нет. Был ли какой-то прогресс с иском?" If the first person referring to the second as 'Sir' hadn't been enough to know who they were referring to, Veronika easily recognized the throaty voice as Ivan's. It was more unnerving than surprising that even in these dire circumstances, he sounded as bored as he always did. _No. Has there been any progress with the suit?_

"Мы не смогли прорваться имеетбезопасности Старк поставил на место. Его искусственный интеллект по-прежнему активно работает против нас . Мы могли бы принять его на энергетические резервы центра к-" _We have been unable to break through the safety features Stark has put in place. His artificial intelligence is still actively working against us. We could take it to the Energy Reserves Center to-_

"No," Ivan repeated, reverting to speaking in English as he cut off the man he was speaking to. "Lock it away in that corner for now. We have company." Veronika froze at Ivan's words, fearing that she had been found out. She was immediately looking for an escape route, but before she came up with a plan she realized that it wasn't her Ivan was talking about. His voice climbed half an octave, sounding eerily cheerful. "Avengers! Welcome."

Seeing Ivan again was like seeing a ghost for Natasha, but of course it didn't show on her face. She remained impassive on the outside while on the inside her mind was busy counting the people in the room and taking in the fact that Veronika wasn't one of them. Why had her path led them here, then? The possibility that it could have been a trap laid by Ivan crossed her mind, but when she remembered the V at the beginning of the trail she assured herself that it must have been Veronika. That still left the question, however, of where she was.

The men standing behind Natasha had never seen Ivan before, but when they did it was a bit underwhelming. From all the hype they had expected more guards, more intimidation, more resistance. What they were met with instead was an older man in a casual suit, standing completely at ease among his more stoic underlings with a relaxed grin on his face. The man was such a sharp contrast to his surroundings that they might have even thought the entire mission was an elaborate prank if it had been set up by Tony instead of Natasha.

Veronika, upon realizing that her plan had worked and Natasha had brought her friends to the warehouse, removed the pistol from her pants as carefully and silently as possible while keeping her eyes trained on every miniscule movement made by Ivan.

"Natalia," Ivan greeted in his thick accent, folding his hands together in front of himself. "I see that idiocy has infected not only your sister, but yourself as well. Such a shame. I had such high hopes when I sent you into the world."

 _You didn't send me anywhere_ , she mentally argued, though she knew that was only half-true. If Ivan never wanted her to leave the Red Room in the first place, she wouldn't have. Still, she was stubborn in believing that she had left of her own volition and followed her own path ever since.

Ivan continued, unaware of the disagreement in side of Natasha's head but not of the anger she held for him. "Yet here you stand, with the Avengers of all people. Wormed into their hearts and minds." A smirk slid onto his face as he quietly chuckled. "I suppose you have not lost all of your skills. You always did excel at deception. How long do you think it will take for your ' _friends_ ' to notice just how corrupt you truly are?"

She shouldn't have responded, and normally she wouldn't have. There was something about Ivan, though, that made her feel as if she was a child again. Something that made her want to rebel against him and take her life back into her own hands. "I don't follow your rules anymore," she insisted. "You know nothing about me."

Ivan tilted his head to the side, his lips slipping into a small pout. "Ah, Natalia. I know _everything_ about you. Would you like me to prove it to you?"

Natasha was tired of listening to him talk. Ready for this all to be over, she reached for the holster strapped to her right thigh and flicked the strap off. It was a small movement, but enough for the Avengers to know that the time for action had come. The ones who had weapons readied them for combat, while Bruce clenched his fists and focused on the part of his brain the Other Guy inhabited and Thor called Mjolnir to his hand.

"You are so predictable!" Ivan laughed loudly, clapping his hands together. "I truly though the Avengers would be more… challenging? It's almost disappointing how easily you've come to me. Like moths to a flame," he compared, shaking his head. "Ah, well. Let us get on with the fun part, yes?" At the snap of his fingers, all of Ivan's soldiers that filled the room moved into battle-ready positions and trained their guns on the Avengers, aiming to kill.

A single gunshot rang out, though it was nobody in the room who had fired. All eyes were on Ivan as his hands reflexively grasped the side of his neck, blood oozing from between his fingers. Before anyone had the chance to react, one of the vents lining the wall dropped to the ground with a heavy clang. While Ivan's soldiers only saw a hand, the Avengers saw a very rough looking Veronika with a hard look in her eyes and a smug grin on her lips. "Don't just stand there," she ordered the Avengers, turning her gun towards Ivan's soldiers.

Ivan was filled with rage at the revelation that Veronika had survived, but his own self-preservation kicked in over his thirst for revenge. "Kill them!" he shouted, hurrying away to hide in a room at the back of the warehouse.

The large room instantaneously became a warzone, with people on both sides ducking for cover while shooting at the others. Thor, glad to have his hammer back where it belonged, swung it in a wide arc that knocked three people back at once, who in turn collided with another two soldiers. Steve was rolling under the gunfire, shooting up at every soldier who so much as looked at another one of the Avengers. Clint expertly twisted the knife in all directions as he exacted his revenge on the men and women who had attacked him earlier. Natasha combined her gunshots with her acrobatics, using a nearby man as a ladder as she jumped onto his shoulders to gain a height advantage. Bruce moved to the corner of the room, quickening his breathing as green crept up his neck.

Veronika dropped out of the vent and landed next to Tony, grabbing onto his shoulder. "Your suit is in the back corner," she informed him, gesturing towards the large safe. "You have a way to get it out?"

"I do, actually." He handed her Natasha's knife before tapping the white bracelets on his wrists. As they lit up, there was a reverberating banging inside the safe. A few of Ivan's people glanced back at the noise just before they were sent soaring through the air by the repulsors firing, the door practically flying off its hinges.

The Iron Man suit detected Tony's bracelets and disassembled itself to attach itself to him. Veronika took a few steps away from him, wanting to keep her distance from the barrage of metal parts. While backing away, she found herself standing next to Natasha as she dropped the man she had been on top of to the floor, knocking him out cold. "Nice of you to show up," Natasha commented casually, as if Veronika was late for an appointment.

Veronika threw the knife she had been given by Tony at an agent who was running toward them, planting it into his thigh and causing him to stumble until he fell face first onto the hard ground. "Same to you, Lia. I'm in a bit of pain, by the way, so let's get this over with, all right?"

"Whatever you say, Nika."

* * *

 **Chapter 20 Preview**

Veronika broke the silence by trudging towards Thor, grasping his shoulder and pulling him down to her height. "Why don't we put those ridiculously large arms to good use?"


	20. Winter Will Come

**зима придет**

 _Winter Will Come_

* * *

This struggle for dominance inside a warehouse in the middle of a seemingly abandoned forest on the outskirts of Russia was surely a sight to behold, even though the rest of the world was unaware of the fight for life and death happening between a threat they'd never heard of and the people who had saved them from world domination.

While the Avengers had many obvious advantages over their would-be-captors, they were currently trapped inside of a confined space that their opponents clearly had no intention of leaving. If there was one thing the Russians has more experience with than the Avengers, it was their ability to fight with limited space. They were easily able to duck and weave between the groups, while the Avengers… Well, seeing them fighting inside a contained area was also a sight to behold.

Natasha and Veronika at least were able to mimic Ivan's soldiers movements by sliding over and under obstacles that Steve and Thor could have sworn weren't in the room earlier, but they were still careful to keep their shots aimed correctly for fear of any friendly fire. Clint had about the same amount of luck, considering he had still been unable to locate his bow in the fray and was limited to switching between his borrowed knife and his hand-to-hand skills.

Steve had encountered the problem of being unable to use his signature attack- using his shield to knock enemies back, allowing him to advance against them even when he was outnumbered. He had tried once, and thankfully the woman had stumbled back into Thor instead of someone less bulky, who undoubtedly would not have been able to fend off the unintended attack quite as easily as the god did. Because of this, he instead took to either keeping his opponents from overwhelming the others by taking the defensive position with the occasional need to defend himself from Tony's shots.

While he had been able to reclaim the Iron Man suit for himself- which he took a moment to appreciate by sighing happily and saying hello to Jarvis- he found it to be much less effective in a room than it would have been in the open. The situation reminded him of his fight with Rhodey inside of his Malibu mansion with the way people were scrambling to dodge his repulsors, the walls and floor taking most of the damage.

Thor, of course, was unable to summon any lightning inside of the room, meaning he was forced to rely on using Mjolnir as tactfully as he could manage in the heat of battle. He was not nearly as reckless as he had been before his banishment, but there was no changing his wild behavior in the heat of battle. In fact, everyone- including his own teammates- were trying their best to avoid being anywhere near Thor during the fight.

This leads us to Bruce, who had handed the reigns over to his larger, more frightening counterpart the moment ear-shattering gunshots began to echo inside of the cement room. The Hulk was much better at taking bullet wounds than his friends, which is why he remained in front of the group to toss people around like ragdolls as they tried to break through his barrier to reach the more vulnerable Avengers.

Yes, fighting indoors was certainly a hindrance on the team's efforts to beat the small army Ivan had assembled that seemed to be gaining more and more ground as the seconds passed. But despite the many, many problems they had encountered since the moment Veronika smiled at Tony in that bar, they were still the Avengers. And they did not lose so easily.

Steve went back to back with Thor, the former using his shield to force the Russians towards the god who in turn hit them down and out with multiple swings of his hammer. Clint took to his natural forte of finding the high ground and using this advantage against Ivan's people, dropping down on them in groups of two or three. Tony used any reflective surface he could find to make the biggest impact possible by multiplying one repulsor ray into as many as five or six, taking out large quantities of his enemies in one go.

The Hulk stood by his friends, launching any Russian unfortunate enough to step too close high into the air where they would stay for only mere moments before crashing down on their comrades. Natasha used up every ounce of flexibility she could muster- which was admittedly quite a bit- to twist and twirl around her rivals in a dance-like fashion. Veronika teamed up with her sister by following behind her, finishing off all the men and women Natasha brought to their knees with carefully placed jabs.

Soon enough, the Avengers biggest obstacle became avoiding the dozens of men and women spread out over the cold floor. They almost expected the Russians to have surrendered much earlier than this, but that was not their way. They would fight to the last man, willingly accepting their death in a mindless attempt to protect Ivan. It might have been cruel, considering their actions were not their own, but their minds had been lost long ago. There was no room for sympathy in a fight of life and death.

It took longer than any of them had expected, but the Avengers eventually did prevail with Veronika stepping on the hand of the last conscious woman stretching for a gun that was too far out of her reach in the first place before removing her foot to kick her in the temple, knocking her out cold. "Well, that was fun," Tony's mechanical voice sighed before the face mask lifted on his helmet.

"You have a very screwed up idea of fun," Clint scoffed, already busying himself with searching every nook and cranny to find where the bastards had hidden his bow.

The Hulk huffed harshly, repeatedly clenching his oversized fists. Thor took the smallest step away from him, remembering what had happened the last time they had finished a battle together. "Why don't you go calm down outside?" Steve carefully suggested. "I don't think you'll fit on the jet."

Other than narrowing his eyes, the Hulk didn't object. The door may have been a bit small for him to fit through however, which is why he simply punched his way through the wall before disappearing into the thick shadows provided by the tall evergreen trees.

Clint found his bow hidden in the same ruined safe Tony's suit had been locked away in, pulling it out with a triumphant, "Aha!" before hugging it closely to his chest. "Oh, I'm so sorry baby. Did they hurt you? Don't worry, I made them pay. I'm never letting you out of my sight again. The minute we get home, you're getting a full workup."

The Avengers stared at Clint with a mixture of worry and confusion, not quite sure if they should bring up his unusual attachment to his weapon while Natasha- accustomed to his weirdness after so many years spent together- stared at the half-closed door Ivan had escaped through, stepping over multiple bodies to reach it. "There's just one small detail left."

Veronika was the first to follow after Natasha, with the rest following closely behind her. She leaned slightly on the doorframe while Natasha pushed the door fully open, her adrenaline quickly seeping after the end of the excitement, leaving her in a lot more pain than she was comfortable with. When she saw that the room was dark, she had even less interest to enter. One knife in the back was enough for one day.

Natasha was the one to walk in, ignoring simple gun safety by keeping her eager finger on the trigger as she glanced around the dimly lit room. "You've lost, Ivan. Time to stop hiding." There was gruff chuckle in the darkness, followed by heavy coughing. Steve, who had been feeling along the wall after following Natasha into the room, switched the lights on to reveal Ivan to the group.

It was obvious that he had attempted to escape, though even more obvious was that thanks to Veronika's shot, he hadn't made it very far. He had collapsed towards the back of the room, unable to even drag himself to the back exit. Slumped against the wall with blood trailing between his fingers, down his neck and over his collarbone, Ivan still managed to smile mockingly at the group during his last moments.

"You think yourself so clever," Ivan rasped at Natasha, a fresh droplet of blood dribbling down his lips. "You think you have won. You think you have climbed your way back to the top. But you are wrong." A sickly grin worked its way onto his lips as he shook his head, giggling like the crazed man he was as his eyes shifted to Veronika, who was leaning heavily against the wall for support while maintaining a harsh glare in his direction. "You were so concerned with exacting your revenge upon me, that you did not take the time to notice that I was never the real threat."

Natasha bristled at this new information, as unreliable as it may be. For all she knew Ivan was just trying to get inside her head one last time before he died. Still, she would be a fool not to ask. Stepping forward, she looked down on the pitiful man. "Then who is?"

He chuckled once more, followed by a heavy wheeze before blood gushed out from between his lips and spilled over onto his once pristine suit. When he looked back up after his coughing fit, there was an insane glimmer in his eyes that lingered on Natasha before scanning over the entire group and finally landing on Veronika. "Осень прекрасна, но короткий. Неизбежное, зима придет." _Autumn is beautiful, but short. Inevitably, Winter will come._

Only Natasha and Veronika understood what Ivan had said, but not understanding the man's last words didn't stop the chill from creeping down the other Avengers' backs as he laughed during his last moments. His crazed laughter was cut short by another course of blood pumping through his throat, ending with him slumping further to the side and a quiet sigh escaping his blood-stained lips.

Everyone stood and stared at the man, waiting for something unexpected to happen, while Veronika pondered his last words. Winter will come… Obviously he hadn't meant the season, due to it already being well into November. She wanted to grab him by the collar and scream at him to wake up, to explain himself. But even if she could somehow bring him back to life long enough for an explanation, she could feel herself drifting thanks to her injuries that had been exacerbated by her actions.

Veronika broke the still silence by trudging towards Thor, grasping his shoulder and pulling him down to her height. "Why don't we put those ridiculously large arms to good use?" Thor, though a bit confused by the request, nodded his head and swept Veronika up into a bridal carry. She groaned at the shift in her back, closing her eyes and gritting her teeth. "Bit more careful, if you don't mind."

Natasha finally tore her eyes away from Ivan to inspect Veronika, looking her over for any obvious injuries. She couldn't see anything thanks to her heavy gear, but the way she held herself told Natasha that the injury must be to her back. "What happened to you?"

"I'll explain on the ride home," she sighed, leaning uncomfortably against the quite visibly confused Thor. "If I keep talking I might pass out."

Thor switched from raising a quizzical eyebrow at Veronika to looking to Natasha for guidance, resigning himself to carrying the woman when Natasha nodded. "Homebound then," Clint announced, pointing towards the door and leading the group outside. "By the way, who's going to go find Bruce?"

* * *

 **We're coming to a close on this story, and I'm curious to know how you all think the rest of this story will play out. What will happen to Veronika from here? What did Ivan's last words mean? How will the Avengers react when they inevitably find out about her betrayal? I'd love to know what you all think!**

* * *

 **Chapter 21 Preview**

"We'll figure it out," Natasha nodded slightly to herself, shifting her gaze from the wall to Veronika. "There's something else that needs to be explained right now. You can start with when Alexei got in contact with you."


	21. In The Aftermath

**в связи с последствиями**

 _In The Aftermath_

* * *

The ride back to Stark Tower was silent, with everyone having separated to rest after a long night's work. Most of the Avengers had nodded off, save Clint who was piloting the jet (that they'd spent close to thirty minutes searching for thanks to Ivan's goons) and Natasha, who was keeping a watchful eye on Veronika. She could tell by the uncomfortable position she was holding herself in that Veronika was in a lot of pain, but there was nothing they could do until they reached the Tower.

After nearly ten hours, Clint finally landed the jet back on the helipad on the balcony of Stark Tower. The exhausted Avengers walked off one by one, except for Thor who was once again tasked with carrying Veronika. It was decided without any speaking necessary that any post-mission debriefing could be taken care of after everyone got a good night's sleep.

Natasha and Bruce accompanied Thor to Veronika's room, where he laid her gently on her stomach on the bed before nodding towards his two comrades and stepping out. Even though Bruce wasn't a medical doctor, he was more qualified than anyone else on hand to check on Veronika's health. Natasha stood in the corner of the room with her arms crossed after telling him where the wound was, and Bruce carefully lifted the back of her thick black shirt.

It was difficult to locate the exact area of impact at first, due to her blood having smeared in large streaks across her back, but after careful examination Bruce located the stab wound on the right side of her lower back. "Well, it definitely doesn't look good," he sighed. "I'm not an expert, but I can clean and stitch this up. We'll bandage it for tonight and if it doesn't look any better in the morning, we'll call in a doctor."

"I've had worse," Veronika sighed against her pillow.

Bruce glanced at Natasha for permission before nodding to himself. "I'll go find a med kit."

When he passed by her, Natasha reached out to grab Bruce's arm. "Thank you." He nodded with a smile, readjusting his glasses as he exited the room. Natasha waited until he was gone before turning back to Veronika, walking over and sitting on the edge of the bed. There was a lot for the two of them to talk about, and Natasha wasn't quite sure where to start.

Veronika removed at least that small pressure by shifting her head to face Natasha, propping her arms underneath her cheek as she stared up at her. "We aren't dead."

"Not yet at least, in your case," Natasha chuckled quietly, though her eyes held a serious glint as she looked down at Veronika. "None of us would have made it out of there if you hadn't faced Ivan alone, though. We all owe you our thanks for that."

 _Except for the fact that I was the one who put you in that position in the first place_ , Veronika thought to herself. She didn't bring it up, however. Natasha would do that in her own time. For now, Veronika had something else she wanted to discuss. "Winter will come… What do you suppose that means?"

Natasha stared blankly at the wall in front of her as various possibilities ran through her mind, each seeming as unlikely as the last. He may have meant that his unknown superiors were in Russia just as he had been, hiding in the cold of uninhabited lands. Or perhaps it was supposed to be a hint as to who exactly his superiors were. Neither explanation brought her closer to an answer, so she resolved to focus instead on other matters. "We'll figure it out," Natasha nodded slightly to herself, shifting her gaze from the wall to Veronika. "There's something else that needs to be explained right now. You can start with when Alexei got in contact with you."

"The year was 2003-"

"Nika."

Veronika buried her face in her pillow as she groaned, having wanted to avoid this conversation as long as possible. Still, she knew that it was going to happen no matter what, so she sat up despite the flare of pain it shot down her spine and through her limbs to better see Natasha. "I'm not sure what you want me to say to you, Lia. I'm not going to defend my actions- they were wrong. _I_ was wrong. I accept that. What else do you want to hear?"

Natasha would have gaped at Veronika if she allowed emotion to show on her face. She had never heard Veronika accept responsibility for her own misgivings ever, let alone actions she had thought right at the time. Wanting to see how far this small but significant change had spread, she pressed on. "I want the full story. I want to know just how badly you messed up before you came to your senses."

For one of the few times in her life, Veronika was completely honest. She revealed every detail, beginning with leaving Stark Tower and ending with changing her mind at the last minute to save Natasha from the ambush in the woods. At one point during the tale Bruce had returned with the med kit and Veronika trailed off, casually slipping into an off-topic conversation while he was in the room with them. She knew that everyone would know of her betrayal eventually, but she would rather they not know until she was physically able to defend herself from their anger.

It took the better part of two hours to go over every small detail, but Natasha waited and listened patiently as Veronika described the experience from her point of view, all the while marveling over her honesty. One dead giveaway that Nika wasn't lying was that she never once smiled during the story, shifting her eyes back and forth between the floor and Natasha. She very obviously wasn't proud of herself, and that was something that astounded and comforted Natasha.

The fact remained, however, that Veronika had betrayed the Avengers, no matter how remorseful of her actions she may be. Natasha waited until Veronika was silent to speak again, and even then she took a few moments herself to digest everything she had been told. "I'll talk to the others in a few days. You should be healed enough by then to properly defend yourself."

Veronika chuckled when Natasha voiced almost exactly her own thoughts from earlier. "Thank you."

Natasha shook her head, taking notice of the tiny drooping of Veronika's eyelids. Bruce had given her some medication for the pain even though she had tried numerous times to refuse it, and one of the side effects was drowsiness. "Don't thank me. I'm just dying to finally watch you and Tony duke it out."

"Yes, I'm sure it will be a party for all of us." Veronika visibly held back a yawn as she settled back against the bed with a gentle sigh. "Those pills won't let me keep my eyes open."

"How dare they," Natasha smirked, standing from the bed. "I'll leave you to be angry with your meds, then. I'll be back to get you for breakfast tomorrow."

Veronika watched through half-closed eyes as Natasha left the room, silently closing the door behind herself. When she was finally alone again, Veronika allowed herself to rub at her face with indecisive irritation. Now that everything with Ivan was finally over- discounting any related threats- she had just one big decision left to make.

* * *

 **Chapter 22 Preview**

The team sat around the breakfast table, hungrily scarfing down their food. All except Steve, who found himself in a familiar situation as he stood in front of an empty seat with a plate in his hand, looking curiously towards the elevator. "Has anyone seen Veronika this morning?"


	22. Even Ghosts Can't Hide Forever

**Даже Призраки не могут скрыть**

 _Even Ghosts Can't Hide_ _Forever_

* * *

" _You abuse the ones who love you, you abuse the ones who won't. If you ever had a real heart I don't think you'd know where to start. By tomorrow I'll be leaving, by tomorrow I'll be gone. If you want to tell me something, you had better make it strong, 'cause I think I'm coming down."_

 _Coming Down – Dum Dum Girls_

* * *

Natasha kept her promise of keeping the Avengers in the dark over the next eight days while Veronika recovered. It had always been easy for her to keep things from people, and this time was no different. The only thing bothering her was Veronika's recent change in demeanor. It was worrying to Natasha how much harder it seemed to be for Veronika to wear her fake smile that had always been so easily genuine before, and for her teasing words to be replaced with quiet laughter followed by silence.

She wasn't sure what to think of her anymore. The entire experience they had gone through together over the last couple weeks had been draining on all of the Avengers. Thor had gone back to Asgard, saying he needed to check on his brother and his family. Tony was planning on moving back to his mansion in Malibu. Steve was considering accepting a SHIELD position in Washington. Clint had mentioned spending some time with Laura, though to the other Avengers he had simply said there was a mission waiting for him. Bruce mentioned going with Tony to work at an offered position at Stark Industries for a while, unsure of where exactly he wanted to go from here.

Natasha assumed she would go back to working with SHIELD sooner or later, but what she really wondered was where Veronika planned on going after this. There had been talk between the Avengers before of turning Veronika in to some form of authorities, but ever since their return it hadn't been mentioned even once. Of course, they might reconsider that position once they knew of her betrayal, but that was something to worry over another day.

She tried to approach the subject with her one night, only to be met with expected resistance.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Veronika had chuckled, flipping through a book she clearly had no interest while seated with her back against the headboard of her borrowed bed. "I'll find a place, Lia. Though the world may not know it, the world will always need people like me. Mercenaries, assassins, all the nasty words they call me… I do them a service they don't know they need. Once I'm fully healed, I suspect I'll return to being the hero Gotham needs, but does not deserve… Or is the other way around? I can never remember."

"You could stay here," Natasha offered without much thought behind her words, which was rare for her. Even after all these years, even after all the lies and deception, it seemed Lia still had a soft spot for Nika. "SHIELD takes in all kinds of… undesirables. They took me."

Veronika closed the book, smiling at Natasha with an emotion she couldn't quite read hidden in her eyes. It looked almost like sympathy, or regret… Perhaps even jealousy. "You would compare yourself to me? After everything I have done to you and your friends?"

"You're not the only person to ever do terrible things. The world isn't so black and white. Doing bad things doesn't make you a bad person, just like doing good things doesn't make you a good person. It's more complicated than that."

"It is, isn't it?" Veronika lowered her eyes to the book in her lap, tapping her fingers against the hard cover. It had taken much thought, and she still wasn't sure it was the right one or the one she wanted, but her decision had been made. "I appreciate the offer, Natasha. I will think on it."

It was the only time Veronika had ever referred to her as anything other than her Russian name, a dead giveaway to Natasha that she was lying to her. But she didn't push. She simply nodded before standing to leave the room. Before she could leave the room, however, Veronika called out to stop her.

"I was thinking about Ivan," she said when Natasha turned back to face her, one hand resting on the doorknob and the other on the frame. "More specifically, what he said to us about Winter coming… He couldn't mean the man… Could he?"

Natasha's blood chilled in her veins as flashbacks of her last encounter with the Winter Soldier ran through her mind. The dead eyes, the unmatched skills, the bullet. Her hand absentmindedly fluttered over the scar on her abdomen as she remembered, a reflex Veronika took notice of.

The Winter Soldier had been part of a training program at the Red Room Academy; The Wolf Spider Ops Program. The idea was to see if men could fit as well into the role of seemingly-harmless-merciless-killer as the little girls who had been raised in the Black Widow Ops Program. While the program had ultimately been a failure, neither Veronika nor Natasha would ever forget the one teacher who had proved the most brutal, and the most effective.

The girls hadn't trained with him for the most part, since he had been there to teach the men. But during the times when they merged the groups to see who proved more effective, both of them had faced against the man. Though they both lost their fights against him, they fared much better than the multiple men and women who had been easily killed by him, leaving the arena with only cuts and bruises.

Veronika could count on three fingers how many times in her life she had been genuinely terrified. The first was the day she was brought to the Red Room and strapped to a cold table underneath a too-bright-light for experimentation. The second was during a mission in Japan that had gone quickly downhill, resulting in her being dangled from the roof of a thirty-two story building while she was waterboarded.

The third was her first encounter with the Winter Soldier, the only time she ever heard the man speak. He had leaned in to whisper in her ear while she stared straight ahead, ignoring the chill his breath sent down her spine. "Если вы должны быть одним из их лучших, я волнуюсь за будущее Черного Вдовы. Посчитайте, сколько времени это займет для меня, чтобы разорвать вас. Я гарантируем вы не достигнете десять." _If you are supposed to be one of their best, I fear for the future of the Black Widows. Count how long it takes for me to break you. I guarantee you will not reach ten._

She had heard much more threatening words than that in her life, but for some reason his had stuck with her for her entire life. Veronika never encountered the Winter Soldier again after leaving the Red Room, a fact that she was more than thankful for.

"Who would he work for now?" Natasha wondered aloud when she pulled herself out of her memories. "And why would he come back now, after being gone for so long?"

"I wish I had the answers," Veronika sighed. "It's just a guess, anyway. I could still be wrong. I've heard nothing about the Soldier for decades." Natasha nodded as she left the room, though now that the idea had been planted in her mind she knew she wouldn't forget it anytime soon. Veronika watched as Natasha walked out, closing the door silently behind herself. Once she was gone, Veronika threw the blankets off her legs and stood from the bed, pulling the bag out from its hiding place behind the headboard.

It was a small bag- small enough to nearly fit in the palm of her hand. The only things inside it were her half-empty canister of halothane, the cell phone from Alexei, and a short note addressed to Natalia. She placed the bag in the back pocket of her pants before making the bed and propping the note against the pillow. If she was honest with herself- which Veronika never was- she almost loved Natasha enough to stay… almost.

She wasn't going to stay. How could she? The moment the Avengers heard of how she had nearly turned them in to save herself they would never settle for less than her being trapped in a cell for the rest of her longer-than-usual life. Veronika could no longer deny how much she truly liked the Avengers, but she didn't like them enough to stay and face the consequences of her actions.

This note was her compromise. It was by no means a glamorous goodbye, but it was better than simply disappearing. At least, that's what she was going to convince herself of as she waited for the moon to rise in the bright New York City sky and for the residents of the Tower to trickle off towards their bedrooms before she carefully cracked her bedroom door open for the last time, not once allowing herself to look back.

* * *

The next morning seemed no different for anyone else. They woke in their beds, followed their varied morning routines of showering or running or sparring or drinking- all dependent on whose routine you asked after- and made their way towards the kitchen to eat their breakfast. The only real difference was that Bruce had offered to help Steve this morning, seeing as he was in the kitchen earlier than usual and had nothing better to do.

It wasn't long before each one of them found their way to this part of their routine. The team sat around the breakfast table, hungrily scarfing down their food. All except Steve, who found himself in a familiar situation as he stood in front of an empty seat with a plate in his hand, looking curiously towards the elevator. "Has anyone seen Veronika this morning?"

When they all shook their heads, Natasha joined Steve in glancing at the elevator while Clint offered the suggestion, "Maybe she's in the shower again. She's been taking longer ones since getting hurt."

While what he said was true, something still felt off and the entire group noticed it. Still, they simply accepted this explanation for now and continued to eat their meals. Steve set Veronika's plate in front of her unoccupied chair before returning to his own while Natasha and Clint took turns between glancing at the elevator, the chair and each other. The mornings were usually silent, considering most of the Avengers were surprisingly lazy people who barely said two words to each other before 10 A.M. This morning no longer felt 'usual', however, and neither did the silence.

Surprisingly, Bruce was the first to break, pushing his seat back as he stood from the table. "I'll go check on her. She shouldn't be having trouble with her back anymore, so if that's the problem then something might have gone wrong."

"Trouble in the shower?" Tony arched an eyebrow, smirk firmly in place. "Maybe I'll join you in checking up on her, Doc."

"No," Steve groaned, rubbing the bridge of his nose with his eyes closed. "Please don't, Tony. I don't think any of us have the energy to keep you two from killing each other right now."

Before Tony could argue, Natasha caught the group's attention by speaking up. "Or we could just ask Jarvis where she is."

Everyone glanced at each other with faces that clearly said, 'Why didn't we think of that?' Well, everyone except Tony, who merely scoffed at the suggestion. " _Of course_ , we could ask J. That's nowhere near as fun, but we could do it. Jarvis?"

" _I'm not detecting Miss Luzhkov inside the building."_

That certainly got their attention. Without a word needed, all of the Avengers had abandoned their breakfast in favor of going to Veronika's bedroom. None of them wanted to admit that they were worried, so they didn't. The thought did cross their minds, though.

Natasha was the first one in the room, pushing past the boys the second the door was open and she spotted the piece of paper on the bed. The other Avengers watched impatiently as she unfolded the note with her name written on the front, reading the short sentences multiple times to herself.

 _You haven't seen the last of me. Be careful._

Tony quickly grew tired of waiting for her to tell them what it said, so he reached out to snatch it from her hands. He was so stunned when he met no resistance, however, to even bother reading it. Clint then took it from Tony as he was too busy staring at Natasha with confusion, reading it himself before relaying the message to the other Avengers.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Steve asked. "Be careful of what?"

"Of her?" Clint guessed. "I thought that she-"

"Of a ghost," Natasha corrected, cutting him off with a shake of her head before grabbing the note back from Clint and wrinkling it into a ball in her fist. She should have seen this coming. Rather, she _had_ seen this coming, but had elected to ignore her common sense in favor of her hopes. A childish mistake, and one she knew she wouldn't make again anytime soon.

"But she's coming back, right?" Bruce pointed to the paper in Natasha's hand. "We haven't seen the last of her. Does that mean she's coming back?"

"Who knows with her?" Tony scoffed, looking around the room. He didn't see anything out of place, and he didn't really think she would have stolen anything, but he would have Jarvis run a scan later just to make sure.

"Well," Steve sighed. "I guess that's that, then."

With no idea how to react to her sudden absence, the Avengers simply walked out of Veronika's room with confusion in their minds and on their faces. Clint was the only one to stay with Natasha, standing by the door as he watched her stare at the bed that looked untouched. He didn't expect an answer- at least not an honest one- but he asked anyway. "You gonna be okay?"

Natasha shook her head with a chuckle, though there was no humor behind it. "She betrayed us."

"C'mon, Nat. She didn't _betray_ us, she just… left. Honestly, we all probably saw that one coming."

"She betrayed us," Natasha repeated, crumpling the paper tighter in her hand as she turned to look at Clint. "In Russia. She sold us out to Ivan. She was working for him." Her hands began to shake as her sentences became quicker and higher-pitched, her anger building with each word that came through her clenched teeth. "The plan to separate, all of you being captured, Ivan knowing every move we would make before we made it. That was all _her_! She was willing to hand every single one of us over just to save herself, and now she can't even stay and face what she did!"

Clint wasn't sure if he had ever seen Natasha so emotional, and it took a moment for him to snap out of his shock before he quickly closed the door and walked over to her, taking a gentle but firm hold of her shoulders as he sat her on the bed. "I thought she was changing," Natasha ground out, still shaking her head in unwarranted disbelief. "She was being honest, and she said she would talk to me. I thought that she was going to help me."

The room was tensely quiet for a few minutes, with Clint at a loss for words thanks to this new information and Natasha simply seething at what Veronika had done. "We can find her," Clint offered, sitting next to Natasha on the bed. "We can talk to Fury, send out some agents-"

"You won't find her. She doesn't want to be found."

Clint nodded, letting out a slow, deep breath. "Okay… What do you want to do, then?"

Natasha didn't know what she wanted to do. She wanted to talk to Veronika, she wanted to yell at her. She wanted her to come back, she wanted to never her again. She wanted to hug her, she wanted to hit her. She had never been at a loss for how to handle her emotions, and it frightened her more than anything. How could just a few days with someone she hadn't seen for decades have changed her so completely, when it seemed to have such little effect on Veronika? She unraveled the wrinkled paper in her hand, reading it once more.

 _You haven't seen the last of me. Be careful._

These words would be at the forefront of Natasha's mind for many weeks to come. It was all she thought about as she said goodbye to her friends, all of them moving on with their lives as if meeting Veronika hadn't changed them at all. It happened slowly, but it seemed to Natasha as if everyone had left her all at once.

Within two weeks, she found herself once again a solo agent at SHIELD working missions that seemed of little importance compared to Ivan's threat of the Winter Soldier coming down on them. She was tempted a few times to drop Veronika's name to Fury, but she always resisted. She didn't want SHIELD involved. This was the one personal thing she would allow herself to have, the one thing she wouldn't share even with Clint.

She kept Veronika's note on hand at all times, always reading, always looking for any form of a hidden message. She never found anything other than the words plainly written.

 _You haven't seen the last of me._

When? When would she come back? What was she doing now? Was she looking for the Winter Soldier? Avoiding him? There were too many questions for Natasha to properly sort through.

 _Be careful._

Six months later when she heard about what had happened between Tony and the Mandarin, she searched relentlessly for any trace proof that Veronika might have been involved. She found none. Never knowing what was going to happen, or when she was going to reappear was infuriating. Natasha almost wished Veronika had never left the note in the first place. At least then she could assume she had been abandoned and moved on.

Then she decided, why the hell not? Natasha burned the note, watching it as it crumpled to ashes in the flames until the last trace of Veronika's visit was gone forever. It may not be reality, but Natasha would make this her reality. She had done it before. From now on, in her mind, Veronika had simply left. No words of warning, no promises of return. She was gone, and Natasha would make herself be okay with that.

* * *

Veronika squinted her eyes as she looked through her binoculars, searching for the tell-tale symbol that would confirm her worst fears. She had pulled a lot of favors and hurt a lot of people to get the name for this location, and she wasn't sure if she wanted it all to be worth it or not.

Third floor, seventh window to the right. She only saw it for a second, but that was long enough. As quickly as she could move, Veronika switched out her binoculars for her sniper rifle before returning her gaze to the window, finger poised over the trigger. It was gone.

"Dammit," she whispered to herself, switching the scope from room to room as she tried to find him. It took another minute or so, but eventually Veronika saw his brand three rooms over. The red star painted on the metal arm. He was bent over a computer, fingers flying over the keyboard. Must be a recon mission.

She placed her finger on the trigger as she adjusted her aim, breathing steadily. Breathe in, breathe out… pull.

Before the bullet even broke the glass he had dropped to the floor, and that was it. She had missed her chance. Veronika knew better than to hang around and wait for him to find her, so she didn't even bother to disassemble her gun before shoving it back into its duffle bag and sprinting back down the stairwell of the abandoned building. If she wanted to take this guy out before he found his way to Natasha, she was going to have to pull a lot more favors and hurt a lot more people. But it would be worth it.

Even ghosts can't hide forever.

* * *

 **And that marks the end of Sestra!**

 **I do believe that this has been one of my favorite stories to ever write, and I'm ultimately very happy with the way it's turned out. But what really matters is you, readers, so I hope you all are as happy with it as I am!**

 **Now, I originally planned on leaving the story here. But I've had quite a few people mention a sequel, and though I've considered it, I'm not sure how I feel about bringing Veronika into the MCU. However, if that was something the rest of you would be interested in reading, I would happily write either a sequel, or maybe just a handful of one-shots to continue Veronika's story.**

 **It's all up to you! If you'd be so kind, I'd love to know what you'd like to see happen from here, and what you thought of the story. The moments you loved, the moments you hated, things I could do better in my next story (whether it involve Veronika or not), things I should continue. Every bit of criticism is helpful and appreciated, so long as it's constructive.**

 **Thank you so much for reading, and I do sincerely hope you enjoyed the story. See you in the next one. :)**


	23. Prizrak

**важные уроки**

 _Important Lessons_

* * *

Veronika stood patiently with her back to the brick wall, staring thoughtfully into the darkness as she waited. Her fingers tapped rhythmically against the wall in time with her chewing of the bright pink bubble gum in her mouth. The night before her offered its own noises to mask her own, ensuring her stealth while her target took his sweet ass time reaching her.

Two years.

Two painstakingly long and painful years filled to the brim with owed favors and empty promises she had sunk into finding a ghost story that she was unfortunately all too familiar with. And what did she have to show for it?

Hopefully – after tonight – the location of his next target.

Hunting down the Winter Soldier had proved to be just as difficult as Veronika had anticipated, if not more so. His reputation as a ghost was one he and his superiors had literally killed to maintain. Veronika herself had nearly been added to his kill count more than once. Those encounters were… unpleasant to remember, to put it lightly.

Such as the time his bullet had managed to hit her in the shoulder.

 _Veronika stepped around her cover, aiming her pistol at the spot the Soldier's head had been mere moments ago. Now, he was nowhere to be seen. Cursing to herself, she turned around to see if he was trying to sneak up on her. That was her big mistake._

 _The bullet ripped through her shoulder blade, causing her to jerk forward and press the hand not wielding her gun against the wound as blood made her hand slick. By the time she turned back to her original position, he had managed to disappear yet again._

 _Escaping from the abandoned warehouse without running into the Soldier again had been one of the more challenging instances of Veronika's career, but it also taught her a lesson – never turn your back on a ghost._

Or the time she realized he could be affected by words.

 _With both their weapons long ago lost, Veronika and the Winter Soldier had resorted to fighting each other with their fists. It didn't take long before they had ended up on the ground, locked in a wrestling match that neither could quite gain the upper hand in._

 _It was when he flipped her onto her back by slipping his leg between hers and jerking her to the side that she had gasped, trying to suck in any available air after her back slamming into the cement had knocked it out of her._

" _Slow your roll, lover," she had groaned breathlessly. "I didn't bring any protection."_

 _The words had triggered something in him, his grip on her tightening painfully before he pushed himself away from her. She didn't have more than a second to consider why he reacted the way he did before he was digging the heel of his foot into her gut. Luckily she had been able to escape by twisting his ankle, but it had been yet another close encounter._

 _This taught her yet another valuable lesson – only tease a ghost if you're willing to deal with the consequences._

Or the time had had recognized her.

" _I remember you, y'know," he had called into the darkness, taunting her as she hid from him. She worked hard to keep her breathing under control, though she couldn't say the same for her heartbeat as his words echoed between the snow covered trees._

" _I've never forgotten the precious Black Widows. I'll be the first to admit that the Wolf Spiders were a mistake, but you girls? You really were something. Especially you and your sister… What was her name again? Natalia? Maybe after I finish with you, I'll track her down. Send her your regards."_

 _If Veronika hadn't been trained to tune out such threats, the mention of her Lia would have sent her running after the Soldier and to her ultimate demise. Thankfully, she was smarter than that. He hadn't been able to find her that day before being called back in to Hydra._

 _This had been perhaps the most valuable lesson Veronika learned about the Winter Soldier - he had never been ordered, or even authorized, to kill her._

The quiet brush of shoes against concrete returned Veronika's mind to the task at hand, her hands stilling over the brick as she waited for the figure to pass by her hiding spot. She had been sure to choose a spot not too far off from the hidden facility, but still close enough to where she would be positive he would have to take this route. He hadn't disappointed.

The man had barely stepped in front of the darkened alleyway before he felt a hard grip on his shoulder, dragging him into the shadows. His first reaction was to fight back, but the hand slipping form his shoulder to his dominant wrist severely limited that option while twisting him until his cheek dug harshly against the bricks.

"Here's how this is going to play out," a voice whispered in his ear, the tone tinged with a strange sweetness that sounded much more threatening than kind. "I'm going to ask a question, and then you are going to answer it truthfully. For every lie you are going to have one more broken bone. If that doesn't work, I'll start taking limbs. Got it?"

This was an interrogation then. Time for Plan B. The edges of the brick cut into his cheek as he opened his mouth wide enough to work his tongue over his back molars, feeling for the difference between bone and plastic.

"Afraid I can't let you do that, you sly devil."

Just as the man had worked the false tooth from his gums, a hand was shoved into his mouth along with something sticky and… sweet? The foreign substance was wrapped around is backup plan before it was stolen from him. Once the hand was in front of his eyes, he was able to identify the material that encased his fake tooth as bubble gum.

"Now that you can't go killing yourself before we have the chance to have a proper conversation…"

The man was turned so that his back was now pressed to the wall, the face of his attacker finally revealed to him. His first thought was that of vague recognition, as if he had seen her before in passing. His second was that he hadn't been trained for this situation.

Veronika smiled at the man as hesitance became apparent in his eyes, patting his shoulder reassuringly. He didn't look anywhere near old enough to be mixed up with an organization like Hydra – but then again, she had been recruited for the Red Room at the ripe young age of nine. "Poor baby. Don't worry, I'm not one to break my word. If you simply answer my questions, I promise not to hurt you. Fair enough?"

Again his nerves were apparent as he paused before nodding. In a show of good faith, Veronika removed her hands from his shoulders.

He tried to run. If he could make it back to the quarters he shared with the other trainees quickly enough, perhaps his tardiness would be excused with only a light punishment. It was unlikely, but being thrown in solitary for a few days would surely be better than whatever this woman had intended for him.

With a regretful sigh Veronika latched onto the collar of his shirt, throwing him roughly back down the alleyway. He skidded across the concrete as she walked over to him lying on the ground. "Now, now," she tutted lightly. "Running wasn't part of the deal. I'm going to have to hurt you now."

Before he could get out more than a groan in protest, his pinky finger was bent at an unnatural angle and sending strong signals of pain to his screaming brain. He tried to yank his hand out of the woman's to cradle it against his chest, but she held firm.

"Oh, don't whine. I know that they do much worse to you in training. Unless they haven't taught you how to survive torture yet – in which case, I would be very afraid right about now if I were you."

"Hydra fears nothing." He had intended for his first words contributed to the exchange to sound strong and loyal, and was severely disappointed when they came out as a pained moan instead. This was _not_ going well for him so far.

"Perhaps," Veronika allowed with a small nod. "But you're not Hydra. You're just a kid that can't remember who he is or where he comes from. You're just another body for Hydra to inevitable sacrifice to their Lord and Savior Big Brother. Are you really going to protect them rather than yourself?"

Her words had struck just an inch too close to him for the agent to be comfortable, and for a moment he wondered if she knew who he was – _really._ Deciding that if he had known a woman like this in his past life then he would rather not remember, he cast those thoughts aside. "Cut off one head – "

"Two more, blah blah blah. I _know_ ," Veronika growled with irritation, rolling her eyes. With a twist of her own fingers, another one of his bent with a sickening snap. "Hydra never shuts up about their damned heads. That's not what I asked, however. If you want to keep your fingers, you better start giving smarter answers."

He wanted to be stronger than he was, but the irrefutable truth was that it only took four fingers for the rookie to give in. "Stop, stop! I – I don't know much, but I'll tell you what I do."

Veronika stopped herself before she could break his thumb, though she learned from her last mistake and kept her hand firmly in place. If he didn't answer her truthfully, she might just have to cut the thumb off rather than break it. "That's what I like to hear. So, answer me this sweet cheeks – Where is the Winter Soldier?"

" _What?_ "

"Four, three – "

"I don't know!" he nearly shouted, lowering his voice when he saw anger flash in her eyes. "I don't – I don't know. I'm just a trainee, you think they tell me where and when they're sending out the Asset?"

Veronika froze, her eyes adopting a distant look as her thoughts drifted to a place far away from the dirty, abandoned pathway she found herself in now. The Asset… She had heard that name before. Recently, in fact. _Very recently._

The distance slowly burned away into anger, her emotions showing freely on her face for only a moment before she quickly schooled them back into a smile towards the agent she held pinned against the ground. "What's your name, sweetheart?"

The agent was surprised by her change in questioning, but thankful to at least have one he knew how to answer. "Landon."

"You've been an immense help, Landon. Thank you for helping me realize what an idiot I've been."

Landon never had the chance to wonder what she meant by that, all thoughts ceasing when her cold hands wrapped around his neck just long enough to twist it until the pressure became too much for his body to handle. A tingling warmth trickled along the base of his spine the split second before his world went dark, only for him never to see the light again.

Veronika stood from her kneeling position, leaving Landon's corpse in a messy heap behind her without a second thought as she turned on her heel and marched out of the alleyway. _Livid_ was the only word that came to mind when she realized the betrayal her latest source had inflicted upon her.

 _Zach had just finished updating her on his latest information, and Veronika was preparing to leave when she spotted it. The folder in his hands that he hadn't opened during their meeting, whatever information it contained remaining out of her knowledge. It was unlabeled, but the corner of a wrinkled piece of paper stuck out the side with only one word visible – Asset._

" _What's that?" Veronika asked, gesturing towards the paper._

" _Nothing you need to know," Zach answered casually, shrugging his shoulders as he tucked the piece of paper back into its folder before zipping it away in his backpack. "It's for a different customer. Must have accidentally pulled it out when I was getting out your things."_

It had been a weak excuse. Even at the time Veronika had found the small tremor in his hand as he packed away the information to be suspicious, but her determination to track down her latest lead had overshadowed her logic.

She had allowed her desire to protect Natasha to cloud her judgement. _Again._

Veronika reached deep into her jacket pocket, producing a nearly empty pack of gum as she shook her head to herself. Chewing the wad of sugar was an addiction she had developed a few months back, finding the repetitive motion calming when she couldn't seem to reel in her frantic thoughts.

Zach had lied to her. She didn't know why, but she did know that she was going to find out. It was only a day's drive to his current safe house. If she left now, she would make it by early afternoon tomorrow – right as he was waking up, the lazy fucker. _Perfect_ , she thought. _Catch him off guard._

Veronika was absolutely seething the entire drive from her motel room to the house a few states over in Nevada. A plane would have been faster, but she didn't have the cash for a ticket. Besides, getting through security with her belongings would have been a pain in the ass. No, it was better to allow her anger towards her source to fester over the next 19 hours as she made her way to the dick's house.

And when she got there, he was going to be none too happy to see her.

* * *

 **Hello again!  
**

 **Just as I did with Sestra, Prizrak is the Russian title for Ghost.**

 **For those of you that read the other chapter I posted - then quickly deleted - for this story, welcome back! I realized mere hours after starting this story for the first time that I absolutely was not happy with where I was taking it, even from chapter one. I am _much_ happier with this chapter, and the plan I have for Veronika now overall.**

 **I'm not exactly sure when we'll actually be getting into CA:WS territory, but it won't be until chapter three or four- and even then, Veronika won't exactly be on the front lines. In case you've forgotten, she and Natasha didn't part on the best of terms.**

 **I hope this chapter was a sufficient opener for what will hopefully be a worthy sequel to Sestra, and that you will continue to enjoy this story. So, without further ado ...**

* * *

 **Chapter 2 Preview**

Zach awoke to a cold pressure against his forehead, his eyes fluttering open to a sight that made his hear flutter in an all too unpleasant way.

"Good morning, sunshine!"


	24. Apologies!

**Dear Sestra readers -**

 **The sequel to this story - Prizrak \- has been continued as a different story that can be found either on my profile or under the category Movies Captain America. I'm posting this chapter to clear up any confusion regarding the last chapter. I posted chapter one as a teaser for the story, but will not be posting the story as a continuation of this one.**

 **I apologize for any confusion I caused in doing so! If you'd like to continue Prizrak, please go to my profile or the CA category and follow/favorite it to be alerted when updates are posted.**


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